


Academia Pro Populi Magni

by Femalefonzie



Category: Night at the Museum (2006 2009)
Genre: (They hate each other but protect each other), Assassins & Hitmen, Awkwardness, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, First Relationships, Football, Gen, History Class, History Jokes, Hockey, Kah and Ahk have a normal sibling relationship, M/M, Music class, Private School, Reincarnation, Roommates, Student government, Student has a crush on a teacher, Teenage Drama, You know teenager stuff, avoiding death, orchestras, teacher-student relationship (student is legal), teenage angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-22
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-03-19 00:15:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 37,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3589152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Femalefonzie/pseuds/Femalefonzie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spoilers for The Secret of The Tomb</p>
<p>Even though Ahkmenrah, and some other notable exhibits are now on permanent display in the New York Museum of Natural History, Larry knows that part of his life is over and it is better not to step in and visit. He has a new job, teaching at a private school in Upper East Manhattan. No more adventures with historical figures trying to protect a magical tablet, his life can return to normal. </p>
<p>At least...that's what he had thought before he met his class and found himself  even further wrapped up in the mystery surrounding the tablet of Ahkmenrah and the lives of famous historical people affected by it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_"The last teacher didn't last long. Mr. Thomps, a middle aged, balding man with a beer gut put on during his college days that he had never been able to get off. He had gotten along fairly well with the students, hadn't been a major hit but they could tolerate the man and joke about him behind his back. Didn't hand in a letter of resignation. Didn't even call. One day he just didn't show up and hasn't since. We've been living sub to sub every day for the past three weeks with him gone."_

_"Oh? But I thought teachers had residencies on campus? Did he really just clear out his place in one day and hightail it out of there?"_

_"That's the strange thing. He left all his stuff. That's why all our students have been circling rumors of him being...well to quote one student in particular..."Whacked". We filed a report with the police and put him on the missing person's list. They have a couple leads, ones that they're currently investigating. Thomps had debt and they believe that may be connected with his disappearance. Nothing too serious, you know?"_

_"Do teachers go missing here...often?"_

_"No. Not since the 50s."_

_"What happened in the 50s?"_

_"A couple teachers went missing but that case was closed years ago. They moved out of state and forgot to resign. Well most of them. A few are still missing but that's typical for here in New York. They will turn up one way or another. Moving back onto topic, we are quite impressed with your credentials and your previous record of employment. The kids will love you. See, you will be teaching them most subjects of their subjects with a couple exceptions. Kind of like in an elementary school. History, English, stuff like that. Our science and mathematics department will cover the rest. It is mandatory for our students to be involved in at least two extracurricular activities the school supplies so your help in managing some of these activities will be greatly appreciated."_

_"Yeah, that's fine. I'm a little more focus on the...you know the missing teacher thing. Is anyone looking into that? Are they connected or-"_

_"We are prepared to offer you a full salary, health insurance, dental and your own classroom. Room and Board too, if you like although we understand you have previous living arrangements and would not like them to conflict."_

_"Can we back track for a moment to the part about the missing teachers. Are they connected? It has been decades between the incidents but this is pretty strange and I kinda want to know about what happened there and-"_

_"Mr. Daley, I assure you that the cases have nothing to do with the school and they are not connected. Our school is one of the best in this nation, blimished by horrible incidents but that is all in the past. The future here is safe and secure and we pride ourselves in how at home and comfortable both students and staff feel at Academia Pro Populi Magni. Now, what do you say?"_

_"I'll say that I look forward to working with you."_

* * *

The interview had not been one of the worst in Larry's life and the more he thought about the more depressing that got. Or uplifting considering he got the position. It really depended on how Larry wanted to take it. 

With Nicky gone, touring through Europe with his DJ buddies, Larry found himself growing more and more lonely as the days went by. When he had finished school and gotten his teaching degree, he mainly stuck to subbing and took no permanent positions. It may have had something to do with the fact that he was still getting over the loss of all of his friends and was worried that getting close to anyone again would mean loosing them as well. At this point in his life, Larry knew that he had to get over that. He had to move on and do something worth doing. He had to put that degree to good use!

Erica had helped him find places looking for new teachers and recommended this school in Upper East Manhattan. A private school, one that took in students from all over the world. It looked incredible, the kind of school that Larry had always wanted to send Nicky too. Where the student body was diverse, activities were fun and enjoyable, where people actually looked forward to getting up to attend class. Granted all their brochures didn't say anything about the missing teachers. Then again...it was New York City. Sometimes people just...left. He had to have been too wrapped up in that world of magic and museum exhibits coming to life at night to see something that was no big deal, as something out of the ordinary. 

_Academia Pro Populi Magni_

It was Latin, for something...but no one had given Larry a translation yet. Academy for something or other. Huh. Good thing Latin wasn't Larry's main subject of focus, those students would be in some serious trouble!

The campus was large and covered in a light coat of snow, not unusual for this time of year and yet not expected. It gave the campus a unique look. Like some sort of winter palace. The main hall was in the center of the campus, with the dorm hall and the science and mathematics department buildings across from each other, and a few yards away. A large marble fountain, currently frozen over, was placed between the three buildings, directly in the center of the cobblestone path that connected all of them. One, lone and incredibly large pine tree grew in front of the main hall. A pair of students in puffy black winter coats and red and blue wool hats were currently decorating it for the upcoming holiday. One was holding the ladder, and passing up ornaments to the other to place on the branches. They were talking to each other in Arabic, though occasionally some English would slip through. 

"Higher Kames!" The one holding the ladder exclaimed. "Put more on the top!"

"I'm trying Aker! Keep the ladder steady!"

Larry stopped for a second and watched them work. It was strange but they seemed...familiar to him. Like he had known them from somewhere else...but that was crazy. They were just students in high school, working to get a better education. Where could he have possibly ever met either of them before? Somehow, Larry kept smiling to himself and continued walking towards the main hall. It was getting late and if he remembered correctly, one of the many sports offered at the school was hockey and that there was a rink inside, located in the center of the building so on big game days, classes could let out and students could attend the game. Perhaps if he got there early enough, Larry could attend and see how well these kids played. There was also a football field out behind the main hall, but at the moment it wouldn't serve much use. 

As he was walking inside, Larry noticed a couple of kids lingering around in the lobby. One stuck out like a sore thumb. A boy in a football uniform and helmet sat wedged in between two other kids with backpacks waiting for the city bus to roll by. He was considerably smaller than them, and by that logic younger. He was maybe fourteen years old, and was currently tapping his foot nervously while he waited. Upon closer inspection, Larry could make out the surname on the back of the jersey, along with the number '18'. Sims...

"Waiting for the bus?" Larry asked him. "You know there's a game on. I bet it could be fun."

Sims shrugged, and slumped down against the wall, tilting his helmet down so it covered his eyes. "Cap'n of the team happens to be the biggest damn douchebag at this school. Wouldn't go if they paid me." He had a southern accent. One that reminded Larry too much of a friend he could never see again. He winced a little, and stuffed his hands in his pockets. The kid was probably just upset the field couldn't be used, and had to go practice elsewhere....or crash a local sportsbar and act like some hotshot. 

Luckily for Larry the bus pulled around out front just then and Sims the football star, along with the other layabouts, gradually made their way outside to catch it, thus sparing him for an awkward conversation that would eventually lead to one of three things: football, how big of a douche this hockey captain was or whichever state the boy hailed from.

He continued onwards to the rink, looking around to see if he could spot any other students. The halls were surprisingly sparse though, most likely due to the fact there was a game in progress. Larry could hear the crowd from where he was, and smell the usual scent of fried food from the cafeteria, and the loud boom of rock music blaring out under the announcer's voices. This was hockey...so beautiful...

 The door to one of the room off the side of the hall opened and a kid in a full hockey uniform stepped out. His uniform was the same colors as the kid in the football uniform's, dark brown, white and black. The number on his back was a proud '5' and the surname 'Bello'. 

"Mi dispiace signore..." He mumbled softly. "Devo tornare al gioco..."

"Um..." Larry had no idea what Bello was saying so he just nodded and stepped out of the way. "Right. Yeah. Good game out there!"

Bello didn't say anything back to him. He just kept walking towards the rink. It was roughly then that Larry noticed the patch on the back of his jersey that read 'Captain' and thought about what Sims had said. His mind began to wander, and out of the blue, an old saying that his father used to say whenever they were watching hockey together when he was a kid popped into his head. 

_"Hockey players are like the gladiators of ancient Rome. They're fighters, tough, graceful and skillful."_

Huh. So there was an Italian hockey captain and a western football player, currently at odds with each other....

Larry shook his head and kept walking. Why did his mind keep going back to the museum? This was normal life. Life where Roman generals and cowboys weren't friends and would never interact with each other...ever. He had to keep himself occupied and focus on that. He would skip the hockey game and go straight to his office. His first class was tomorrow, he'd be meeting his students for the first time...he had to focus on that and get his classroom in order. Hang up those posters he'd brought with him. 

This wasn't like the museum. He had to stop seeing his friends from that time everywhere he went. It was only going to cause him trouble...


	2. Chapter 2

Larry's footsteps echoed in the halls as he tried to find his way to the classrooms on the west side of the school. It reminded him of when he was first working at the museum, before the exhibits came to life and before the night program. When it was just him alone in the museum. It was a comforting, and gave him the strangest sense of familiarity. Now if he could only find his classroom bed be all set. 

A girl around sixteen years of age was sitting against the door to one of the classrooms he passed, clutching her books to her chest and looking around anxiously. She was waiting for someone, clearly. Larry kept walking, though part of him wanted to stop and talk to the girl. Part of him saw her as...someone he knew. As if they ha already met. 

She stood up finally, when Larry was halfway down the hallway and well past her, and said something just loud enough for Larry to hear before heading back the way he had come. Something that made him seize up.

"Late again Teddy..."

No. Her Teddy wasn't his Teddy. His Teddy was currently roaming the museum under the magic of the tablet with Sacagewa riding Texas with him. 

Sacagewa...

That girl looked a little like her. Younger but still...there had been a resemblance....

Damn. Why was his mind doing this to him? It had to have been some kind of separation problem. He had to...to focus and move on. This job was all about that. Moving on. 

His classroom was near the end of the building, one of the lasts in the hall. It was a decent size, but almost completely empty aside from the desks, Larry's desk and one cupboard in the back of the room containing text books and crumbly old paperbacks. 

A fresh slate, free for Larry to mold and shape. 

He hung up his posters first. Ones that had been purchased at the museum gift shop. Of the city of Rome at its height, of the old west, A portrait of Teddy and one of even the Huns! He hung a large mural of African mammals up behind the desks and smiled at how pleasant it looked.

Moving on didn't mean forgetting the past, it meant perusing his future. 

Larry finished by placing a picture of him and Nicky on his desk and trying to come up with a lesson plan for the following day.

For history it made sense to start at the beginning. The ancients would go first, then European history, then Ameican and more modern history. For those activities he had to monitor, he could sign up to help the hockey team or the orchestr. Maybe he could find out why Sims and Bello were at odds. 

As he as he worked a couple kids passed by his door on the way to rink or to the bathrooms. A trio of boys all arguing amungst each other, a girl and a boy talking so fast Larry could not make a single word they said out, and a larger, more muscular boy who walked by slowly with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He was the only one who actually acknowledged that Larry was there, with a slight nod. 

To pass the time onice his lesson olan was in order, Larry pulled out his class list, hoping to get the names at least memorized by tomorrow.

Ozias, B.

Jason, S.

Ted, R.

Aker, M.

Kames, M.

Sally, W.

Amy, E.

Georgie, C.

Alister, C.

Ian, R.

Nathan, B.

Lance, A.

Alvin, H.

Only thirteen...that wasnt so bad. Larry could handle thirteen kids. Yeah...how bad could it be?

"Code 3 outside the rink. Code 3." A voice on the loudspeaker announced. 

Code 3...that meant a student or staff member was in need of medical assistanc! He knew it was most likely a hockey related incident. Some player probably knocked a tooth out or had gotten in a brawl. But Larry had to see what was going on. He had to make sure all students were okay! 

Larry bolted out of his office and back down the hall to the rink. 

A crowd had began to form around the entrance to the rink. Mostly students and friends and family of students playing in the game. So it wasn't a hockey player who had gotten hurt. 

As he got closer Larry could distinctly make out a boy laying on the floor, shaking violently. Larry pushed his way to the front of the crowd and gasped. 

The boy had his eyes squeezed shut tight and was screaming something over and over in a language Larry didn't believe existed. He was around seventeen or eighteen years of age, with long tawny hair and a five o.'clock shadow, and wore a shirt with the Union Jack imprinted on the front. That was not what Larry could see though. 

Before him, Larry saw a younger version of a man he had known briefly. Before him, Larry saw a boy who looked exactly like the Lancelot he'd met at the British Museum. 

...But...that was impossible...

...wasn't it?

...

He lived in a world where a magical tablet brought clay statues, mannequins and centuries old Egyptian mummies to life every night, of course it was possible. Anything was possible.

Now what was wrong with him?


	3. Chapter 3

The nurse's office was a small, cramped little room painted a horribly bright shade of white with no windows and a couple of horribly done motivational posters covering the walls. Two cots were pressed up against the far walls, with only a small table in between them. A small little cupboard hung beside the door. It was small, smelled like rubbing alcohol, and made Larry's stomach lurch. He always hated the smell of hospitals. It always made him nauseous, made him want to upchuck. He couldn't explain why. It just did. 

He helped the kid in the union jack shirt up off the floor and brought him here with the assistance of a couple other members of the crowd. They all left as soon as he was in the office, disappeared to grab the nurse, leaving him and the kid alone. He really looked a lot like Lancelot, only younger. And the other kids he had been seeing this night...they reminded him so much of the exhibits...way too much. It couldn't be a coincident. It all had to mean something. So, while Larry waited for the nurse to show up, he pulled out his phone and started to research google. 

Okay so first he had to figure out what this could be. He knew there was a name for it, he just had to think. What was it called when someone in a past life was reborn and had a new life, new name and a new identity with no memories of their past life? Oh this was going to kill him. What was it again? Oh right! Reincarnation! The rebirth of the soul! That was it! Perhaps this was some case of reincarnation...but that many people? At the same time? Around the same age? All in the same place? It seemed...convenient. 

_**Reincarnation**  is the religious or philosophical concept that the soul or spirit, after biological death, can begin a new life in a new body. This doctrine is a central tenet of the Indian religions.... _

Most of the articles on Google seemed to be a repeat that basic information over and over but it was enough for Larry to work with. That missing teacher he replaced suddenly found his way back into his thoughts. His disappearance...maybe it was all connected somehow. Enthuses on somehow. His theory...it only worked if the circumstantial evidence could be proven true but how could he find out for sure? 

Okay so something was definitely out of the ordinary here but maybe he shouldn't have been jumping the gun and considering reincarnation yet. His first class was tomorrow. He could talk to the students and figure out what was going on here. 

A knock on the door tore Larry out of his thoughts. Someone must have gotten back with the nurse (Finally!). "It's open!" He called out to them, "Just come on in!" It would be pretty irresponsible to lock the door to the nurse's office, even if it was in use and it was after hours. Especially with a sports event going on. If someone got the crap kicked out of them, then what would they do? Lord knows the wait at the hospital would make the situation more dire. 

Bello entered the room a second later, still in his full uniform. He walked slowly, reaching out to hold onto the side of the wall for support. The kid hadn't even changed out of his skates yet! Larry raised an eyebrow, watching him closely as Bello cautiously made his way over and sat down at the foot of the empty cot. 

"Ho sentito che Lance era stato ferito." He said, awkwardly folding his hands in his lap. "Il gioco è ancora in corso. Volevo vedere se era bene."

"Yeah sure," Larry agreed with a nod. "Umm....I'm sorry I don't speak Italian. Do you speak any English or is it always just...this?"

Bello frowned, or at least, Larry suspected that he was frowning underneath his helmet. He couldn't really make out the boy's facial expression at the moment with it covered like this. "I speak perfect English, it is just not the language that I prefer to speak in. And just so you know, I am also fluent in Latin but prefer my mother tongue instead. Now if you have taken your foot of your mouth, do you want me to translate what I just said since you clearly have no idea or do you want to move on and pretend that this whole awkward experience did not occur?"

Okay so Bello was a sarcastic little asshole. Maybe Sims was being honest when he said he was the biggest douchebag in this place. Moving on...

"I take it that you're here to see...Lance," Larry said and gestured to the boy still out cold on the cot. At least he had stopped shaking now. That was an improvement...hopefully. "He almost looked like he was having a seizure. Does it happen often? Is it some medical condition that he has?" Bello had to have been a friend of his. Why else would he have come to check in on him when the game was still in play? 

"It does. It happens to all of us."

"What do you mean by that?"

Bello shrugged, "It happens. Every student here has at least one of these a year. One moment your fine and the next you're tossed into a horrible nightmare without even falling asleep. Once the nightmare is over, you black out and awake 24 hours later, good as new. No one knows why exactly. Just happens." He took off his helmet for a second, just to get the weight off his head. Larry wasn't surprised to see that Bello shared an uncanny resemblance with the figure of Octavius currently on display in the Hall of Miniatures in the Museum of Natural History. He was younger, yes, around 14 maybe. The same as Sims. And smaller than most of the other students here, with longer hair that stopped a few inches past his shoulders and poofed out but he still looked like Octavius. 

Larry chewed on his lower lip. "I see. And you have...had one of these incidents as well I take it?"

Bello nodded.

"And...what was it like? What do you remember?"

"Not much. I remember a woman and feeling...sick. This paralyzing sickness where I can't move...and then nothing." Bello sighed, and his eyes flashed back over to the door. "The game is still going and if I'm not back on the ice quickly, coach will throttle me. Look man, you don't have to worry about this all too much. It's common. Happens all the time. I just came in to see if..." His eyes fell back on Lance and if Larry didn't know better, he could have sworn that Bello's face became flushed with embarrassment. The boy pulled on his helmet too fast for him to check and better certain, however. 

This school just kept getting stranger and stranger. 

"Well," Larry said and crossed his arms awkwardly. He didn't know what quite to do now. "Good luck out there. Hope you kids win."

"Thanks," Bello said. He started walking back towards the door, only stopping for a minute to ask; "Who are you anyway mister?"

"I'm Larry Daley. I'm taking over Mr. Thomps' class..." Larry explained. He had to figure out what was so weird about this place. What did the blackouts have in connection with the possible reincarnations of some of his closest friends and the disappearances of some teachers? He wasn't going to get any sleep tonight. Something told Larry that he was going to be downing Red Bull by the gallon while surfing through whatever web sources he could find. "So I guess I'll see you in class tomorrow...Ozias Bello."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A//N: Just so you guys are aware, there are some minor crushes going on in the fic but only endgame pairings are listed in the relationship tags. Incase you're wondering what's going on with Bello and Lance, and Amy and Sally. I'll list them here...well except for one because it will be a big spoiler. If I haven't given it away already in this little blurp. 
> 
> Crush list  
> * Oz (Bello) has a crush on Lance  
> * Amy has a crush on Sally  
> * Lance has a crush on Kames  
> * Georgie has a crush on Amy 
> 
> There you go. To avoid confusion.  
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Unread messages: One. Sunday, December 3rd, 2017._

_"Hey Nicky, I know that you're probably not going to be up to get this for a while but I really need you to help me out with something. Remember I was telling you about the job interview at that private school? Well I got it. But, well...It's not a normal job. You've always been a lot better with researching stuff than I have been and I was wondering if you could look up some things on reincarnation and possible cases in the news. I want to know if any of the people claiming to have been reincarnated from a past life have experienced anything...similar with others, you know? If there's a common list of...symptoms I guess would be the right word. Oh, um...It's dad. Call me back."_

* * *

 

"Hey dad. I'm glad you got the job. I'm not surprised that there's something strange about it though. The only jobs you could ever really handle were ones that no one else could do. I'm not sure what reincarnation would have to do with it but I did the research you wanted. A lot of it was classified information on government and conspiracy theory websites with all of the names blacked out but it still applies. In the past thirty years, over a hundred and fifty cases of people claiming to be reincarnated have been reported in the US alone. Reincarnation is limitless. Girls can be reincarnated as boys, boys can be reincarnated as girls, both could even come back as animals. People claiming cases of reincarnation often experience night terrors, blackouts, a resurgence of memories from another life, and skills in fields they have never touched within this life. For example, a man in the US claiming to be a reincarnation of Sir Isaac Newton was able to recite Newton's principia in it's entirety despite being illiterate. I, uh, I also noted something that I found really strange but it's...it's most likely nothing. I was looking at a couple cases, trying to see common symptoms, and noticed that all of the people claiming to be reincarnated...had died. The guy claiming to be Sir Isaac Newton was killed in a car wreck about a week after his report was filed, a girl claiming to be Catherine the Great was fatally shot in a break and entering just four days after, Two brothers who said they were Richard of Shrewsbury and Edward V of England disappeared hours after their interview and are presumed dead...Maybe I'm just being paranoid but it looks almost as if someone was...killing them off."

Larry sighed and rubbed his temples, and wondered why he had been hoping for something better. It was still extremely early in New York, but it was the only time Nicky could call him back. He was currently downing his seventh Red Bull for the night, trying to keep himself awake enough to survive class without having to go to sleep. Of course it had to be like this. It couldn't be simple. Lord knows his life was never simple. 

"Right that makes sense. I was talking to Oct-one of my students and I asked him about his black outs and he said something about feeling sick." The real General Octavius or Augustus as he was known as during the latter part of his life was suspected to have been poisoned by his wife, despite the spread of tales saying he died of natural causes. If Larry remembered correctly it was still up for debate. "Anyway, I don't know...what I should be doing here, do you have any ideas? I wish I could talk to Teddy again. He would have some idea what to do...even if he hasn't dealt with this kind of thing in the past."

He could have gone and seen Teddy but truth be told it would have been too emotional for him right now. Larry wasn't even if he was sure if he could handle seeing his reincarnation in a few hours. Larry had never been able to make friends easily and so, for him, Teddy had been his best friend. He missed him but knew it would hurt a hell of a lot more to see him and have to say good bye again. 

"You may want to keep as close an eye on all of them as possible. Make absolutely sure that they are the reincarnations you believe them to be and then tell them about what might be going on. It could just be a coincident, you know?"

"Sounds good but what am I supposed to do if it turns out to be true? Go to the police and say that someone is trying to kill a bunch of kids because they, in past lives, were Theodore Roosevelt, Jedediah Smith, General Octavius, Sir Lancelot, Sacagawea, Attila the Hun, Prince Ahkmenrah, ect, ect...?"

"Cross that bridge when you get to it. That's all I can really tell you dad."

"That's the only thing I can do. I guess I'm just...nervous you know? I don't know the kids that well yet but I want to make sure that they're okay."

"I know. You want to keep everyone safe. It's your thing. Anyway, it's getting really late here. I'm going to go to bed. Call me when you get off work and tell me how it went, okay?"

"Okay Nicky. Have a good night."

"Good night dad."

 Larry hung up and put his phone back on the receiver. There had to have been someone around here who knew what was going on. Someone he could have talked to about what was happening here. At least at the museum there had been Cecil and the other night guards. People who had been working with the exhibits and were used to what were happening with them. 

Oh. 

_Oh._

_Oh god! Mr. Thomps! Those teachers that had gone missing years ago!_

...What if they knew what was happening with the students and that was why...why they disappeared?

Wait a second. Wait just a second, things were starting to all click together inside Larry's head. Academia Pro Populi Magni...Academy for something something. There may have been a deeper meaning behind the school's title. Larry took out his laptop, brought up the google translate page and entered in the school's name. 

Academia Pro Populi Magni - Academy for Great People

Well damn. There it was. Big old warning about what was going on at the school right there. Right frigging there in the name! Great people, for the love of Larry's sanity, it was a private school for reincarnations of those important to history! No wonder the dean had been impressed with Larry's credentials at the Museum of Natural History! They were going to have to have a serious talking to when they got the chance!

Wait...wait a moment...that would also explain why the dean had been anxious to get off the topic of what had happened to Mr. Thomps. He would have known...what had actually happened to him and had not been eager to tell Larry the truth! That someone was after the students and had taken their old teacher instead! And the kids had no idea of the sacrifice that man had made and were still joking about him behind his back!

"...I need to be getting hazard pay." 

* * *

The way boarding at Academia worked was quite simple. Everyone had one roommate, the boys' staying on the top floor of the dorm building, the girls' staying on the bottom. Each room had their own bathroom, and a minifridge in case the students wanted to store some snacks or beverages in the room. Alcohol, drugs and tobacco of any kind was not permitted on school grounds and every now and then a teacher would be along to search for any contraband. They tried to board together those with common interests, for the sake of keeping the peace between students and allowing them to enjoy their time at the school to the fullest. Brothers and brothers, and sisters and sisters. The only exception to the rule of keeping families together was when it was a brother and a sister. Keeping the boys and girls separate took precedence over that rule. 

Under the family, Nineteen year old Kames and his seventeen year old brother Aker ended up roomies. 

Kames was an ill child and due to constant absences from school to receive medical treatment, he ended up loosing close to a year of school. It would not have been that big of a deal, as their father's company was making enough money for he and his brother to not need to to ever fret over financial issues, but something told Kames that Aker would end up with the majority of their father's estate and besides that...Kames didn't want to leech off his parents for the rest of his life. 

For the first couple of years he may have bared some slight resentment to Aker but as he aged, Kames' anger died. He could not blame Aker for being highly intelligent and curious, for being so good with people and for...just being the man who he was. Yes, he was a colossal pain in the ass but with that came the unspoken brothers' bond the two had forged. The bond all brothers had. The "You-really-annoy-the-shit-outta-me-but-if-someone-hurts-you-I'll-kill-them" bond. They tried to keep their distance from each other in school, but they were in the same classes...mostly. Kames' science and math courses in the afternoon were with different professors, at a higher level than his brother's. 

It was most unfortunate what had happened to Mr. Thomps. At least he kept the two apart on projects. Kames typically worked with his friends; Alister, Ian and Nathan on projects and Aker would pair up with whoever was left. More often than not, the large lad whose family was living in Hong Kong. Alvin something or other. 

Something told Kames that that separation of the two was coming to an end. 

* * *

Ted didn't mind having a roommate although the language barrier between his was a little difficult. 

Alvin had been attending the school since he was fourteen on a full scholarship. He spoke no English and often the only one around who could translate the boy was that Aker kid who was fluent in a lot of different languages. 

Despite this problem the two got along fine. Alvin was gone often for football practice, and when he was in their room, often he was eating whatever food he had smuggled in to share. He was a very considerate young man, always bringing Ted back some food whenever he got some and Ted tried to repay the favor. They had a similar interest in television programs, and would often stream _Keeping Up With The Kardashians_ with Aker. Their schedules were quite similar, with them spending about 3/4s of their time together but while Ted had bulked up on political courses to take in the afternoon in place of sciences, Alvin had taken a large interest in Physical fitness, health and well being. 

Mr. Thomps had gotten along fine with the both of them but they weren't overly disappointed to find out that he had left the school. They could only hope that this new guy, Mr. Daley, was an okay guy. 

* * *

Amy and Sally were the only female students in Mr. Thomps' class but they were more than fine with the arrangement. The idiots in their class were always too busy getting in each other's faces or trying to separate a fight to pay that much attention to either of them anyway. Except for one, of whom Sally found herself sweet on, although tonight she would classify him as an idiot as well. 

Ted was a sweet boy but he couldn't show up on time to save his life and lately he had been forgetting everything that wasn't attached to him. Sally included. They both knew that he didn't mean to but it was happening a lot more frequently now and Sally was slowly beginning to loose her patience with him. She tried not to, she really did, Sally believed with all of her heart that she loved Ted but...how could she be with a boy who was too forgetful to even show up for a date?

Amy, on the other hand, was hoping that Sally would leave him. 

If she only knew, maybe things would be different between them. Amy would had the strangest feeling that she would never know. That if she ever tried to make the extent of her feelings known, it would ruin the only true friendship she had with anyone in the majority of her classes. Sometimes, she wished that there was someone else around that she could relate to. Someone else that she could express these concerns and issues with, that wouldn't result in the termination of their friendship. But as far as she knew...the only one at this school that was a lesbian...or at the very least gay...was her. 

Sounds about right. With her luck. 

* * *

Out of all of the people at this school who Jason could have been stuck with as a roommate, it had to have been Oz Bello. They got lumped together because they were the same age, were both heavily involved with sports and orchestra at the school, and because the first year students who were attending that semester were quite few and far between. They _should_  have been able to get along easily. They _should_ have been on the fast track for becoming best friends. They _should_ have been best friends. Well, America wasn't founded on a pile of shoulds people. 

The first couple of days had been an awkward haze of trying to get used to each other's presence. Of trying to keep from stepping on each other's toes, decorating their room, and getting to know one another. For a while they got along just fine. They weren't friends or anything but they weren't exactly fighting. But then what had quickly become part of school history under the title of "The Great Sports Brawl of 2017" happened and blew any chance of them becoming friends to holy hell. 

Jason loved football. It was how he'd won the full scholarship to attend this school in the first place. Naturally he was given the position of captain despite being one of the newest students here. He practiced in the morning before school, and put his all into every practice. He got along well with his teammates, who later informed him of the yearly tradition of messing with the school's hockey team. 

He was unaware that Oz had received a full scholarship to take the position of captain of the hockey team. 

To make a painful story short and sweet, a prank set up by Jason and his teamies ended up with Oz covered entirely in red paint in front of the entire school and he decided to retort by dragging a sleeping Jason out onto the bench in front of the school that night. Wouldn't be so bad except Jason slept in the buff and woke up cold and polluting Twitter, instagram and facebook. They were basically at war since then. 

Oz had to get up for practice an hour before Jason had to get up and always made sure to turn the alarm on loud enough so his roommate would have no choice but to get up himself. Jason took every chance he got to spread rumors about Oz and mess with him. 

His favorite thing to mock Oz about was an older student from England named Lance who just so happened to have caught Oz's fancy. 

They were all in a lot of the same classes so it was a goldmine for blackmail. Every day Lance would show up late, do this little hair flip in the doorway, and then take his seat with a mug full of tea in hand. And every day Oz's dark brown eyes would widen like little saucers, and he would sigh softly under his breath while absentmindedly running his fingers through his long, curled hair and doodle little cartoons on the inside of his binder. Oz had the...brownest eyes Jason had seen in his life. They reminded him of the root beer he loved to drink, and the rich chocolate his aunties used to send him for Christmas...

...

Jason hated Oz and Oz hated Jason. No new teacher could ever change that. 


	5. Chapter 5

 

The regulations at Academia Pro Populi Magni were strict and many. Most were reasonable, however, given the age and condition of the students. Tattoos, piercings and even dying one's hair was not allowed, copulation was forbidden both on and of campus, routine checkups were scheduled every month and every student had to be in attendance, random drug and alcohol screenings were done five times a year and the internet restrictions on the school's wifi were blocked every trace of porn, gambling and just about every website deemed 'inappropriate' locked up tighter than a safe. No one in the entire school followed these rules, they just found more and more different and clever ways to hide what they were doing. Everyone had their secrets, and most did well to hide them. A few secrets managed to slip out every now and then, however. 

Nine out of thirteen of Larry Daley's new students actually arrived to class on time. Lance had already been excused for the day so the nurse could properly look him over but others opted to show up late. Ted and Alvin, and Amy and Sally were waiting at the door for Larry to come and unlock it. Amy could have picked the lock for them but she had figured that would set a bad example with their new teacher and preferred to get off on the right foot. Aker showed up a few minutes later but still before the final bell. He handed Larry a note explaining that Kames had a 24 hour bug and wouldn't make it to class today. Something about that smelled fishy, seeing as the night before Kames had been right as rain, but Larry didn't feel like digging that kind of crap up on the first day. Jason showed up with one minute to spare, grumbling something under his breath with Georgie, Ian and Nathan following behind him. None looked like they had wanted to get out of bed that morning but they had forced themselves to attend class. Oz showed up a few minutes late, looking like shit. His hair was a mess, there were bags under his eyes and he looked almost panicked. If Larry didn't know any better he would have suspected that the kid was on something but that just didn't make any sense. Since it was his first day teaching and he didn't want to make Oz feel any worse. Oz took his seat, not surprisingly beside Jason, who groaned. Odds were he had been hoping that the other wouldn't be attending class today.

This wasn't going to work. 

Something was coming. Larry didn't know what but it was coming, he could just feel it, and these kids needed to be prepared to face whatever it was. Mr. Thomps had been covering chapters that were far apart and random, it would seem, but a pattern appeared now. He had to have been trying to trigger some kind of reaction, trying to make them all more aware of their situation and who they really were. It hadn't worked though. If anyone here had any idea of who they really were then they weren't showing it. There was something they were missing here...

He was going to have to have another conversation with the dean to get to the bottom of this. Or at least get some questions answered. 

In the mean time he had a responsibility to these kids, to give them a proper education and ensure stable futures, for all of them, and if there was one thing he had learned from working at the museum for so many years, it was that it was easier and the results were better when you worked with people who trusted and cared for each other. This infighting he sensed from all of them was going to have to go. 

"I went over the lesson plan that Mr. Thomps had been following last night and have decided that to make sure you have all the information you need from those chapters, we're going to be doing group presentations. I know there's an odd number so there will be one group of three, the rest will be in teams of two that I decide." 

A couple of students groaned but most kept quiet and listened to what he had to say. This might not be so difficult after all. He turned to the board and casually scrawled down the different topics to be covered. 

_Great Women of History_

_Ancient Rome_

_Ancient Egypt_

_Villains of History_

_American Heroes_

_The Legend of King Arthur_  

"Sally and Aker, you two are going to be covering American Heroes."

"Georgie, you're going to have to catch Lance up to speed with the project but you two will cover Villains of History."

"Nathan and Ian, you got Great Women of History."

"Alvin and Amy you're doing Ancient Rome."

"Our Triumvirate will handle The Legend of King Arthur."

"Triumvir-wha?" Ian asked. 

"May I suggest asking Amy or Alvin? Since triumvirates were used often in Ancient Rome I believe it should be mentioned once or twice within their project." Larry replied quite cooly. He had known that some students in the class wouldn't be as engaged in some lessons as they were in others. He may have been biased but it seemed to him that Ian would much rather prefer the Villains of History chapter instead of that of the Ancient Romans. "Which leaves Jason and Oz-"

"Hold on just a minute!" Jason exclaimed and shot up out of his seat. Larry hadn't been sure he'd been paying attention but at least this objection proved that he was. "There's no way I'm working with this ice-queen! Bad enough I gotta live with him!" 

Oz scoffed, "Oh as if it's hard being my roommate. At least I'm not blaring top forty country songs at full volume every god damn night! I swear to god, if I have to listen to that stupid _Save A Horse Ride A Cowboy_ song one more time I'll-"

"IT'S A GOOD SONG!"

"IT IS THE HILLBILLY NATIONAL ANTHEM!"

"OH LOOK LASAGNA BOY IS ALL UPSET! YOU HAVE NO TASTE IN MUSIC! THE CRAP YOU LISTEN TO I CAN'T EVEN MAKE OUT THE LYRICS!"

"THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S IN ITALIAN!"

"LEARN ENGLISH! YOU ARE IN AMERICAN SO LEARN TO SPEAK ENGLISH GOOD LIKE I DONE I WAS LITTLE!"

Aker sighed and pulled a novel out from his bag. "There they go again." he said and opened to a page that he had marked. 

Others in the class followed suit, pulling out books or work for other classes or anything to do to kill time. It would appear that Oz and Jason got into more than one scuffle that killed class time before, and worse, it would appear that it happened often enough that the others came prepared to deal with it. Mr. Thomps must not have been good at braking up arguments between the two in the past...or they just really didn't want to stop. Luckily Larry had past experience ending fights. 

"You two knock it-"

"OH SO YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT _STUPID_ SONG ANYMORE! TOO BAD BUCKO!  _WELL I WALK INTO THE ROOM PASSING OUT HUNDRED DOLLAR BILLS_ -"

Sally groaned. "Great he's singing at him again."

"Wait," Larry asked. "This happened before? Is this a daily occurrence?"

"We're fine as long as Oz doesn't sing back." Sally tried to assure him, tried to rest his already tattered nerves but the fates would not have it that way. 

" _QUESTO SUCCESSO, QUEL FREDDO ICE, MICHELLE PFEIFFER, CHE ORO BIANCO_ -"

"Is Oz singing the Italian version of-?" Once again Larry was drowned out by Jed's purposely off-key singing. 

" _AND IT KILLS AND IT THRILLS LIKE THE HORNS ON MY SILVERADO GRILL, AND I BUY THE BAR A DOUBLE ROUND OF CROWN, AND EVERYBODY'S GETTING DOWN, AN' THIS TOWN AIN'T NEVER GONNA BE THE SAME_ -"

" _QUESTO PER LORO CAPPA RAGAZZE, THEM BRAVE RAGAZZE CAPOLAVORI ETERO STYLIN', MENTRE NEL LIVIN 'IT UP IN CITTA, GOT MANDRINI SU CON SAINT LAURENT, DEVO BACIARE MI SONO COSI BELLA_ -"

_"CAUSE I SADDLE UP MY HORSE, AND I RIDE INTO THE CITY, I MAKE A LOT OF NOISE, CAUSE THE GIRLS THEY ARE SO PRETTY, RIDING UP AND DOWN BROADWAY ON MY OLD STUD LEROY, AND ALL THE GIRLS SAY, SAVE A HORSE, RIDE A COWBOY! EVERYBODY SAYS SAVE A HORSE, RIDE A COWBOY!-"_

_"SONO TROPPO CALDO, CALDO MALEDETTO, CHIAMATO UN POLIZIOTTO E UN VIGILE DEL FUOCO, SONO TROPPO CALDO, CALDO MALEDETTO, FAI UN DRAGO VUOLE ANDARE IN PENSIONE, UOMO, SONO TROPPO CALDO, CALDO MALEDETTO, DIRE IL MIO NOME NON SI SA CHI SONO, SONO TROPPO CALDO, CALDO MALEDETTO, SONO FORE MALE 'BOUT CHE IL DENARO, ROMPILO-"_

Just fucking great. Out of all the damn teaching jobs in New York City he had to have wound up here. Larry sighed and leaned against the blackboard, watching as this little bout of glee fever between Oz and Jason dragged on until the first class of the morning was over and the students were allowed to have a five minute break before returning to class. They all filed out orderly, those desperate to get away from the singing hurrying, and Oz and Jason still singing until they reached the doorway. Then, like lightening had struck between the two of them, they separated and scrambled off in different directions down the halls. Aker was the last one out and as he was leaving he patted Larry's shoulder sympathetically. 

"It's part of their mating ritual." He assured him with a playful, teasing smile. "By the end of the year they're probably going to be banging."

Larry paled at the idea of thinking of his students' sexual lives but Aker was already gone and didn't see it. 

Jason ended up walking to the lobby and sat down on one of the benches, put his head in his hands and groaned in self pity. Here he was with a perfect piece of black mail. If anyone found out what Oz had been doing last night, what he had been doing every night since he got here, and about his latest little feat on his nightly outing, he would be out of this school quicker than Jason could hog-tie a pig! He should have been happy! He should have been in the dean's office right now ratting like a prison snitch and he just...just couldn't bring himself to do it...

He smiled just a little bit. He didn't know what the hell Oz was singing in Italian but it sure did sound good coming from him. 

...

...Not that he meant anything by it of course. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It occured to me that there may be more focus on Jason and Oz than characters like Georgie or Nathan because Octavius and Jed are my favorites. The others will get their moments, I promise, but if Jason and Oz appear a little more often I'm sorry. I just really like the whole fighting/crush/friends/eventual love thing they have.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As requested, a character list (PS: Nathan and Ian are not the real names Napoleon and Ivan the Terrible have. They will be revealed over time.)  
> Jason ~ Jedediah  
> Ozias 'Oz' ~ Octavius  
> Sally ~ Sacajawea  
> Amy ~ Amelia  
> Teddy ~ Theodore Roosevelt  
> Ahkmenrah ~ Aker  
> Kahmunrah ~ Kames  
> General Custor ~ Georgie  
> Lancelot ~ Lance  
> Napoleon ~ Nathan  
> Ivan ~ Ian  
> Al Capone ~ Alister  
> Attila ~ Alvin 
> 
> IMPORTANT NOTE: I have the entire plot line all listed out and I'm telling you now, the rating and warnings WILL change. Brace yourself for character death and feelings (Not main character death though. Original Character Death. And plot twists. But as the plot progresses, you'll see that it's crucial to the story and such. Plus a happy ending/bittersweet ending is pretty mandatory.) Also, if the fans want I could slide in a lil'smut for ya'all but that's only if I get enough requests for it.  
> Anyway, any more suggestions are appreciated.
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Missing a couple English classes weren't going to kill the kids so when they started filtering back in for the next class, Larry put his foot down and told them to get to work on their projects. He also put into effect a rule wherein if anyone started to sing, they would be getting their asses thrown out of class and sent straight to the Dean's office. It calmed Jason and Oz down a bit although the two still tried to put as much distance between each other as they could. Jason backed his chair up until he was against a wall and while Oz went right to work. There were few problems with the other groups, most fizzled out on their own, so Larry just watched for a couple minutes to make sure they were all working before taking the opportunity to go and confront to the Dean.

Amy took charge on the project which worked out well for the two of them. Alvin was good at picking out things and putting stuff together, so he followed through with her instructions and pulled the books needed off the shelves. They decided to focus more on Rome after the assassination of Jules Caesar, on his nephew Augustus taking charge of Rome and his triumvirates and the different things they could do to contrast whether or not he could be considered a hero or a villain.

The first thing Georgie did was start scrawling down a list of names for the most evil villains in history. He'd talk to Lance to get some research done at the library, a little background on all of them, and then they could do some kind of timeline for their project. Starting with Nero from Ancient Rome and working up to modern villains like Al Capone and Hitler. 

Nathan and Ian followed a similar style for their project. They scribbled down the names of some of the women they could remember, a long with a couple of facts on them, and Nathan started to sketch small portraits of them to go along with it. They had an idea for a type of collage, one that incorporated a lot of art work on Nathan's end and hard facts and research on Ian's end. 

Teddy, Kames and Alister set to work. Correction; Teddy and Kames set to work. Alister kicked his feet up on his desk, pulled a carton of cigarettes out of his pocket and took a long drag. He smirked, one that was predatory and almost cruel. He watched Teddy and Kames shifted through the books, jot down notes, and would occasionally pipe up with his two cents when they weren't asking for it.

"You still seeing that guy from Brooklin Kames?"

"I don't see how that is any of your business but yes, I am."

"Huh. That guy's a smuck. Never liked him. If I was you, I'd dump his ass and find someone with a decent taste in baseball teams. Who still cheers for the Mets anymore? What is this? 1969?"

"...Right. Yeah. Sure."

"No I mean it man. You can do a lot better than that guy."

"Alister," Teddy said, not glancing up from his book. "If you feel like talking than why don't you pick up a book and start scrawling down some notes for us?"

 Oh. Actually work on a project instead of watching the others work? Alister cringed at the thought. He preferred to call the shots and have other people carry them out for him. Kames slid a stack of books across the desk to him and flashed him a warning look. One that said that there would definitely be consequences for not lending a hand on this project. That egotistical, lispy asshole. Alister and him were a perfect duo, they were almost one and the same. There were days he knew that Kames was calling him egotistical and a jackass to others. They weren't bitchy over it though. The two of them were aware of what they said about each other, respected each other. So reading a couple crappy text books wouldn't e the end of the world...he supposed. Alister picked the top book off the stack and flipped it open to a random page. 

"Hey guys look!" He said with a laugh, and turned the book around so the others could see what was so amusing. "This guy looks like Lance!"

Kames and Teddy didn't bother to look up. They kept on reading and ignored him. "That's nice Al."

Alister pouted, closed the book, and leaned back further in his chair. "You guys are dicks."

Sally and Aker had agreed on an idea almost immediately and were putting in 110% into their respective parts. Aker had drawn out a picture of the American flag then opened a book on some of the more prominent heroes of America. He was sketching their pictures onto the flag, while Sally took notes on each person incorporated so they would have something to go with it. When she finished, she'd wait for Aker to finish the sketch and then they'd move onto the next person. So far, they had George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and one or two cowboys from the wild west. 

"What about Lance now?" Oz asked. He, like the others, kept his eyes on his work but that didn't mean he was dead to the world. From where he was sitting Jason scoffed, rolled his eyes and looked away from his rival. 

"Of course you would concern yourself about that. Just work on our project so I can grab a sweet A." He muttered. 

"Go fuck yourself Jason!" Oz hissed and set the book down. This wasn't good. When Oz actually set his school work aside to fight with Jason, they were in trouble. "How about you actually contribute to this and make yourself useful or are you just planning on riding on the success of others for the rest of your life!"

By now some of the others started to look in their direction. It had become a game, a regular occurrence. They would fight like this every day, almost every chance they got. It became so bad that teachers would never be able to leave the room, in some classes they had to sit right beside the two to keep them from acting up. Everyone was still surprised they hadn't gotten kicked out of school for this yet. Although they would never understand how anything at this school would work. Alister tossed the book aside and clapped his hands together. 

"Great! This is going to rock! A good ol'fight!"

Sally leaned over to Aker and whispered, "Should we go find Mister Daley?"

Aker thought about it for a second before grinning wildly. "We should. But it would be much more entertaining if we don't."

 "Guys will you please knock it off?" Teddy asked with a sigh. "This is the second time today. The 7th time this week overall! There had to be some kind of limit here!"

"I'll knock it off when this _Mary_ pisses off and leaves me the fuck alone!" 

"The fuck did you just call me you _no good, inbreed hic_?!

Jason's grin spread, and he licked his lips in a method that both menacing and enticing. He stood up from his chair, tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans, and took a look around the room at the others. "You heard me," He said, growing cockier by the second. "I asked you, _faggot_ , to get back to work on our project and leave me alone."

" _JASON_!" If Oz didn't killed him for saying that, Amy and Kames were going to fight to the death to determine which one of them would do it. Kames bit down hard on his lower lip, his fists clenching and unclenching as he watched the country boy laugh. It didn't even occur to him how intolerant he was being. "Shut the hell up! You're acting like a god damn child!"

Oz smiled and stood up. With a wave of the hand he silenced Kames and Amy, who looked completely dumbstruck by this development. Calmly, he walked over Jason, still smiling as if he had not a care in the world and stopped. He stood there for a few seconds, and it was as if all the oxygen had been sucked from the room. No one moved. They were just waiting for the hit that would start the chaos. "Well?" Oz asked. 

"Well what?"

"You going to apologize for saying that?"

"For calling you a fag? No. Don't think so." 

"Alright then." Oz said, and before anyone could say another word he punched Jason in the face, sending him falling back into the desk. Blood trickled down from Jason's nose and for a second no one could think, could even say anything. Jason looked completely stunned. He reached up and wiped the blood away from his nose, completely in shock. 

Amy was the first to react. "HOLY SHIT DUDE!" 

"That was kinda cool." Alister said to no one in particular. "Yeah. That was actually badass. End the hate, you know what I'm saying?" 

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Ian asked. "He just busted Jason's nose!"

"Jason was being a dick!" Kames argued. "Deserved it!"

"Yeah but he's going to be crashing in the nurse's office with Lance for god knows how long now. We're going to loose our star football player for a lot of the practices and that game in Middleton in two days." Georgie pointed out. 

Aker scowled at him. "Doesn't excuse being a tool!" 

"Oh bite me dickhead!" 

 "Don't you talk to my little brother like that! The only one who can mess with him is me!"' Kames screeched and shoved him to the ground. In a matter of seconds, the two were rolling around the floor exchanging blows. Aker grabbed one of the heavier textbooks off of his desk and started bashing Georgie with it, 

"Leave Kames alone! Let go of him!" 

It escalated from there. Until everyone was rolling around on the floor, punching and kicking each other, like wild animals. And while this was happening Jason was still slumped against the desk, his nose still bleeding while he tried to piece everything together in his mind. Oz packed quite a punch...He would have been a great football player if he wasn't so obsessed with his hockey...and stopped getting football confused with soccer. 

...

...Jason was beginning to suspect that his feelings for the other male weren't as black and white as he thought they had been. Of course...he'd rather get decked in the face by Oz every day for the rest of his life than admit it to anyone. 

...It had to be just some weird infatuation. Since there were so many guys at this school he was confusing feelings he was supposed to be having for girls, for Oz. There was no way that Jason Sims was gay. 

...

Really. He was serious this time. 


	7. Chapter 7

_"Why didn't you tell me?!"_

_"Wold you have still taken the job?"_

_"Yes, actually, I would have." It's not as if he hadn't worked with historical beings before. On the contrary, Larry would have been the best candidate for the job to begin with. He knew how those people worked, how they thought, how to make them get along with each other. Working at the museum gave him a valuable advantage for this situation._

_"You think so but you wouldn't. No one wants this job when they realize what it entails."_

_"What are you talking about? Do you mean that thing with Mr. Thomps and the other teachers?"_

_"Mr. Daley, the students in this school are in grave danger. Keeping them here together may be their only shot at living through high school. We lost a couple over the decades we've had our doors open but we saved more. More people will be able to live longer, healthier lives with this school in them. By May, we'll have had over 90 historical reincarnations make it to graduation, assuming all of your class stays alive."_

_"O-Only 90..? But this school...it has...it has to have had more students than that right?! I mean there's a lot more here..."_

_"There is. They don't get hurt though. They don't ever have to worry about being hunted down like animals. They get to go on living their normal little lives without a care in the world. The others though, your students, they have to fear for their safety every chance they get. We need to protect them."_

_"We need to tell them-"_

_"We can't. They'll go to the media and tell others and then they'll know that they're here. They'll come for them. Or worse, they will think we're insane and leave the school. Then they'll be out there all alone and vulnerable. They'll get killed that way."_

_"Wha-Who...Who's they and why would they want to kill someone?"_

_"If we knew, it wouldn't be happening. They just want these kids dead Larry. Are you going to let that happen to them?"_

_"No. No I won't."_

_"Good. Then I recommend you get back to class and wrangle them all in. Your students may need to be together for their own good but they do not enjoy it and they do not make it easy. I'm surprised that they haven't killed each other yet."_

_"Well, the year is still young."_

* * *

This didn't make much sense so Larry knew that this whole situation had something to do with the Tablet of Ahkmenrah. It always blew back to the tablet. Everything that ever went strange in his life was connected to that damn tablet! Why did Merenkahre sign off on the creation of that thing in the first place?! Yeah, magic tablet to keep his family alive together forever, it was pretty selfish when you looked at it in the long run. Every night for the rest of eternity his son had to die over and over again and just recently, his wife and himself too. Did he ever even ask Ahk and her if that was what they wanted? Maybe if he had put all the time that had gone into overseeing the tablet's creation, into maintaining a healthy relationship with _BOTH_ of his sons, they would have all lived longer. 

Dean Zelders had been...calm about the whole process. Something didn't settle right with Larry about that. He made a mental note to call Nick later and get him to send over all the files he had on the cases of reincarnation reported in the past. Maybe then he could google their names and try and find out some more on them. 

So much for his normal job. Oh well, he was getting used to this by now and his life was extremely boring without the tablet in it. At least the kids were getting along now. He opened the door to his class room and froze completely solid. All he could see was a mass pile of his students, rolling around on the floor in a blur of limbs and punches and kicks. Jason was leaning back against a desk on the floor, lightly touching his nose. It looked mishapen, broken even. He locked eyes with Mr. Daley and shrugged, 

"Shouldn't have left there Gigantor."

Larry was in over his head here. 

 


	8. Chapter 8

Meanwhile

 

The last time J was in New York it didn't end well. Once again he had failed to get to his assignment in time. That was the worst part of the job, getting there just in time to see what had happened and realizing that there was nothing more you could do. You'd have this guilty, hallow feeling in the pit of your gut for weeks and then once your superiors finished chewing you out for blowing it big time, you'd stumble back to the training room and work until your hands bleed and get ready for the next time. Only the next time you'd be late again. You wouldn't get there in time to properly handle the case, you'd fail again and the cycle would continue on and on and on and on for years. 

Following his last failure of an assignment J was put on patrol in New York City until his superiors got wind of another case they needed him to check into. By now he had gotten used to the streets of this city and knew the best places to lay low while he waited everything out. There was a cafe on 20th street that made the best coffee cakes and hot chocolate. By now the staff was beginning to recognize his face. 

He sat down and started to get to work on clearing out the messages on his phone he'd gotten from Cordelia. She worked alongside of him and everything but his girlfriend was a desk jocky. She never went into the field to handle cases, she just did research and crunched numbers for the bigger guys upstairs. Desk work was never something J could handle though. Sitting around all, doing nothing...he needed to be out and moving not taking lunch breaks and texting people while he counted down the clock until he had to get back to work. 

_How'd it go with that George Washington guy?_ \- Cordy  <3

_I didn't get there in time. It was too late. I did manage to shot a round into one of the guys as they were running off_. - J

_Shit, baby, I'm sorry to hear that. Is that what the big guys are all pissed off over? Damn..._ \- Cordy  <3

_I'm going to be okay. It's not like I knew the guy. He was just fourteen though...that's too young for this kind of shit to be happening to them. It was all sloppy too. He would have suffered a lot. I really hate that. If they're going to try and kill these people they should at least be clean._ \- J

_Well, I've been talking to Angie in finances. Did you want to drop by the school later? You need some time to cool down after such a crappy mission and it could do good to help you remember that we do win...most of the time._ \- Cordy  <3

The school? J could have been an ass and reminded Cordelia that most of the students at that place were normal people enrolled to cover the tracks of all those who weren't. Maybe twenty people there were actual cases that the group had handled in the past. Considering how many people they had encountered in the past and crunching the numbers into a percentage it was less than 50%. They'd get a failing grade and flunk if this was some sort of course. 

_Maybe. I'm going to go and check out a couple leads I have down in Brooklyn. I'll talk to you later baby._ \- J

_Alright. I'll update you whenever I get some more information. Be safe J._ \- Cordy  <3

J slipped his phone back into his jacket pocket and left before getting that hot chocolate that he'd been craving. Things were going to be getting heavy soon, really heavy. Everything was slowly sliding into place and if he and his co-workers didn't take care of it soon, the world was going to be in trouble. He should have asked Cordy about how many were needed again. It was 50, he believed, but that could have easily been a miscalculation on his part. 50 people were in danger, not counting the kid the cops were cleaning up off the pavement. He decided to call Chloe and see what news she had back in Cairo. 

"Things are beginning to stir here. People are getting restless. We're running out of time." Was all she bothered to tell him before hanging up to go see if she could bring in a couple of possible targets that were supposed to be passing through the city that day. Leave it to Chloe to be as mysterious as ever. Just with J though. They had a history together that made work one of the most awkward experiences of both their lives. Well...the lives they were currently living, at least. 

Out of options J decided that a visit to the school may be for the best. If 50 people were needed to bring about the end of the world, he probably should have been offering some protective services to those who had already been saved while other agents went out and looked for more. The last thing they wanted was to loose the ground they already had. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the lack of updates on this and a couple of other stories I've been working on. Exams were coming and the only reason my Avengers story was able to be completed so quickly was because a version of it was being used for a creative writing final project (Got an A BTW) so this story should be done soon or at least fully underway. My Avengers trilogy and Jupiter Ascending should be going soon as well. 
> 
> ((This is also a shorter chapter so I am sorry but it will be longer next time))


	9. Chapter 9

Following the disaster which would go down in history as Larry's first class, the teacher went to the library to clear his head and do some more research into this reincarnation thing. He didn't understand it. Back at the museum he'd been able to whip everyone into shape after a back, all inspiring speech, why wasn't it working now? He was tempted to call the museum and see how Tilly and McPhee may handle the situation but something told him getting those two involved would just make the whole situation one hell of a lot worse. 

All and all, things seemed synced up to how they first were back at the museum. Jason was leading a group of cowboys (or in this case, football players) and was at war with Oz who lead a band of gladiators (hockey players), Teddy and Sally were struggling to confess how deeply they really felt about each other, Alvin was acting slightly aggressive to the other students and wasn't saying much, the whole Smithseon gang was up to something and Aker was...surprisingly intense. Larry had been so sure that if he just did what he'd done at the museum, they would have all been getting along. 

"I.Hate.That.Damn.Tablet." He groaned, slamming his head against the table. 

This had to have been the tablet's doing. It all flashed back to that horrible fucking tablet. He _really_ hated that damn thing. If it wouldn't kill his friends, nothing would have pleaded him more than to smash it to a hundred tiny pieces! 

"Mr. Daley?" 

"Hmm?"

He looked up from his little nest between stacks of books and saw Aker standing there, holding a couple books to his chest, and smiling. His student pulled a chair over to the table and sat down across from him. 

"What are you up to Sir?" He asked. "That's a lot of reading material. A project of yours?"

Uh..."Just some light reading. I love to read." That sounded fake. Even to Larry. "Shouldn't you be in a science lab with your peers or something?"

Aker set his books down and started making himself comfortable at the table. Most were textbooks but there was always a couple of notepads and what appeared to be An issue of deadpool. Figured that Canadian nut would be his favorite Marvel character. "I was. But then Alister and Nathan started messing with the dead frogs, and to make a long story short, a bunch of students threw up. Our teacher said it would be okay for any one feeling out of it to go to the library or their rooms to do research, so I seized the opportunity and left." He grinned. "Although I'll tell you, it was hilarious when Alister made him do that frog cartoon dance."

Larry raised and eyebrow. "Frog cartoon dance?" 

"You know, the cartoon frog. The Warner brothers own him I think. And he only dances when the guy isn't looking. _Hello my baby, hello my honey_? Ringing any bells?"

Larry snorted. Of course he was familiar with the Warner Brothers' frog. "I know what you mean. So what are you researching then? Besides Canadian mercenaries. Is it some kind animal genetics project? Perhaps how hybrid species can help replenish the earth?"

"Actually it's on how flesh easing bacteria may be used to revolutionize modern warfare. I have a theory that if we were to cross it with Ebola and the common cold, we could end all boots on the ground fighting. I got inspired when I saw a video of a full grown elephant practically melting after being exposed to the bacteria. It was incredible." 

Holy mother of god...

What was wrong with this kid?

Larry forced a smile. "Cute..." He said. "And practical." Then he buried his face in a book so Aler couldn't respond further. 

The library doors opened and a man dressed in all black entered and sat down at a nearby table. Something about the guy struck Larry as off but he wasn't hurting anyone so he couldn't just call him out. This whole thing was getting weirder and weirder. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> INTENSE SCENE. POSSIBLE TRIGGER WARNING.

"Mr Daley?" 

"Hmm?"

"You've been staring at that man for nearly twenty minutes. Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine Aker."

He wasn't but then again, when was Larry ever fine? Or at the very least, normal. Something about the man in black just seemed suspicious to him. He hadn't seen the man around the school before, he wasn't reading anything just checking messages on his phone, and he looked...tired. The man's table was across the room but even from where he was, Larry could see the bags under his eyes and the bandage that disappeared under his sleeve. There was no way that guy was a teacher's aid or something.

Aker was buried in a book gathering notes on the basics of Ebola while Larry couldn't get back to his own research. This man was too distracting. How was one supposed to find a way to get his students to work together so he could (possibly) save their lives from...whatever the holy hell was going on at this school, when guys in all black and covered in bandages just came waltzing in at just the right time to be a distraction!

"Does that guy come into the library often?" Larry asked him. He shouldn't have been doing this. Aker needed to get his research project done, and as an educator Larry should have been leaving him to that instead of dragging the poor boy into this mess but he was out of options. He was going to need one hell of a lot of help if he wanted to get to the bottom of this. 

Aker looked over at the man and watched him for a few quick seconds before turning back to Larry and shaking his head. "No. I don't think he's been in here before. Why? Civilians are allowed to use the library as long as they sign in and follow our rules. He's not bugging anyone."

Yet, Larry thought. He really doubted that some guy just wanted to get in out of the cold winter weather and go through all the trouble of signing in just so he could sit around on his phone doing nothing. The former night guard frowned and tried to think of something to bring out who this man really was. He looked past the man, out the library windows into the streets of New York. It was getting dark. Classes would have long been over by now. Good thing Aker had science last or he may have missed the rest of his day, all wrapped up in his Flesh eating bacteria project. More students started to file in to work on projects for different classes and Larry wasn't surprised to see the rest of his class there.

Teddy and Alister took a table in the far right corner of the room. After Alister blowing off the majority of the work on their history project, Teddy and Kames agreed to take shifts with him in the library to make sure he actually contributed a decent amount. Today was Teddy's turn. Larry couldn't help but feel a little guilty for pairing the three of them together, seeing how bored out of his mind Teddy looked. He was leaning back in his chair, forcing himself to watch Alister read about the knights of the round table. It was the only way to get him to actually work though...

Sally came into the library a little later than the others and stood by the biography section for a while, looking between Teddy and Alister's table and Larry and Aker's. Finally she sighed and took the seat beside her history partner. Their project was already farther along than most of the rest but it couldn't help to get a little more work on it done. She smiled and nodded a hello to her teacher but otherwise was silent. 

Georgie, Ian, Nathan, Alvin and Jason entered the library in their football letterman jackets and took a table in the back behind Aker, Sally and Larry. From what Larry could overhear, their practice that night had been cancelled and the rest of the team had gone out to get something to eat in town. Georgie, Alvin, Nathan and Ian attempted to get some work done before being distracted by their team leader's attempt to see how many pencils he could fit into his mouth and gave up. 

The last to arrive were Kames, Oz and Amy who took the last remaining table which was closest to the windows. They sat down and started to work on some project for another class, off in their own little world. The man in black looked up when they came in and watched with wide eyes as they got to work. It was the first time he'd done anything besides looking at his phone. That struck Larry as odd. What was so special about Kames, Amy and Oz? Well...they were the school's GSA. The entire GSA. Though Love had already won in the U.S. so attacking a GSA composed of three people seemed rather juvenile. Though it did happen...

"That man looks strangely familiar." Sally said, the man in black having caught her eye. "I know I have seen him before...but where?"

At least it wasn't just Larry. He managed to smile a bit at that but just for a second. He had to figure out why he felt that he'd seen the guy before and why he was here at the school now. 

The lights in the library went out and someone screamed. Larry's first instinct was to pull Aker and Sally down underneath their table and then yell for the others to get down. He could barely make out the outlines of people, but he could hear feet shuffling around and the sound of the chairs being moved as the students rushed to follow his instructions. Some students were whispering to each other, about whether the power had gone out due to the harsher weather outside. A blizzard was supposed to hit that weekend but it wouldn't be the first time a storm came early. 

Then there was a flurry of loud cracking sounds like thunder and the windows shattered. Cold air swept in and someone was screaming but Larry couldn't tell whom. It may have been him. This was the first time he'd ever been actually shot at before...unless you counted Al Capone's gang back at the Smithsonian which he didn't. Screaming in terror seemed like a logical response. 

Something whizzed past Larry's ear and if he hadn't been the one screaming before, he certainly was now. Aker and Sally crawled further under the table out of the way but there was no more space for the teacher to fit. He was stuck where he was and it was too close for comfort. A final shot rang out and this time Larry was certain he was going to be blown to kingdom kong. He shut his eyes and waited...but nothing happened. 

The lights flickered back on and Larry opened his eyes. A few inches from his face was the last bullet that had been fired. The man in black was holding it between two fingers while leaning over the table. He smiled and tucked it into his jacket pocket. "You already there teach?" He asked. 

"...I..." Larry couldn't think right. He looked around, checking to see if everyone was alright. The students seemed...completely and utterly terrified but no one looked hurt. Thank god. "...Who are you?"

The man stuck out his hand, "They call me J. I'm here to keep you from dying. Believe me when I say that would suck on so many levels that you've yet to completely understand."

Larry was _really_ regretting becoming a teacher. He should have gone into the military. There was no history bending magical tablet induced strangeness there. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone can guess who J is, I'll give you a treat. Don't know what kind of treat yet, but a treat.


	11. Chapter 11

"-Pere, Je suis tres bein-"

"-Ma, stop crying. I can't make out what you're trying to say-"

"-Aker and I are fine mother-"

"-Pa, I swear to god I am okay-"

"-Maggie put Mom on the phone! I'm okay-"

"-I swear, Auntie, I'm fine-"

"-YEAH MOM! IT WENT RIGHT BY MY HEAD! IT WAS SO EXCITING AND-OW! NIPPY WHY'D YOU HIT ME?!-"

"-Don't pay attention to that dad. Yeah, it's just Alister being dumb.-"

"-Tell him I say hi.-"

"-Alister says hi.-"

Jason rolled his eyes. These people were all strange. Following the incident in the library all students were required to go to the basement for safety measures while security personal did a swipe of the school and made sure whoever pulled that stunt was far away from them all. Most of the other students were using this as an opportunity to call their parents and assure them that no one was hurt. He took it as an opportunity to sit with his back against the wall and try and beat his high school at fruit ninja. 

"-Tell him that I'm okay, alright? I'll be back home at Christmas.-" Sally sat down beside him, and Jason decided not to bother her. Whoever she was talking to, it seemed to be pretty rough. He couldn't help overhear parts of her conversation though. "-Yeah, I got him his Christmas gift early. I talked to Teddy, he may be stopping by too but until then just get dinner ready for the rest of us. No, I didn't tell him about him yet. Okay mom, I gotta go. Bye. Love you. Bye."

"You're not cheating on Teddy with a fella back home are you?" He teased. Sally wasn't that type of girl. The _him_ she hadn't told Teddy about was probably a dog or something. Some kind of pet. 

"Never." Sally said, not even the slightest bit phased by what Jed had been implying. "Aren't you going to call your folks? All you've been doing is playing on your phone. They're probably worried about you."

The blond just shrugged and pulled up another game. Fruit Ninja was something you would get bored of easily, or you would, if you were him. Truth be told he wasn't that worried about calling anyone and for good reason. There just wasn't any need. "They're fine." He looked up over his phone at Oz, pacing over by the door and talking to someone in Italian. This was his second phone call. The first had only lasted two minutes. Jason felt safe to assume, since it was incredibly long distance, that he'd lost them. 

He wondered what it had been like in Italy. This was the first time he'd ever actually heard anything about his room mate's life outside of the school and he couldn't even make out what he was saying. 

Eventually Oz hung up and drifted back towards his circle of friends, completely unaware that Jason was watching him. This whole thing was strange. Someone was going to get hurt, even killed, and it wouldn't be unreasonable for parents to start pulling students out of school in fear. Scholarships or not, it wasn't worth the risk of loosing them. He couldn't believe he was actually thinking this but...Jason hoped that Oz's parents had decided to let him stay. Rome was far from wherever he was going to end up when this all blow over. 

* * *

"I know you from somewhere."

"No you don't."

"No, really I do. You look familiar. Were you ever involved with work at the New York Museum of Natural History?"

"No."

"The Smithsonian?"

"No."

"The British Museum?"

"No." 

Larry sighed and rubbed his temples, "Look man, I know you. You may as well just tell me who you are and avoid whatever mess not telling me is bound to create. I mean, how am I supposed to trust you if I don't even know you?"

J shrugged and leaned back into the plush couch of the teacher's lounge. "I stopped you from getting shot in the face. I think that qualifies as something that makes me trustworthy."

"For all we know, you could have set the whole thing up."

"I wouldn't. There happens to be someone here who is very important to me." J replied quickly, suddenly alert and serious. He sat up and folded his arms in front of his chest. "Mr. Daley, the students here are in danger. I work with the school and you've only stumbled onto the surface of something far greater than you could have possibly begun to imagine. The tablet of Ahkmenrah, I know you're familiar with it, think you know how it works but you don't. It's not something of beauty, Larry, it's not something of wonder, it is evil and if you prevent me from helping your students survive...it will bring about the end of the very world as we know it."

_The end will come._

"Fuck." Larry sighed. "I thought we had taken care of this years ago..."

J shook his head. "Mr. Daley, the only hope we have of protecting these kids if for you to learn how deeply this runs. We're going to have to tell you every thing. But be warned...there's no going back from this point. You're going to have to stay with this knowledge for the rest of your natural born life and even after."

The choice to go back had been destroyed when he first chose to stick it out at the museum. He was already passed the point of no return there. 

"Go on."


	12. Chapter 12

J ended up spending the night with Larry though there wasn't much sleep for either of them. Larry needed to know everything he could to help his students, to keep them safe from this group of people who very much wanted them dead. He set to work brewing coffee while J set everything up in the living room so they could dive in right away and not miss a detail. For once, Larry was actually looking forward to learning about what was going on. He was finally going to learn everything he could about the tablet and it's affects, he wasn't going to have to face any strange new threats blindly. For once, he was going to be able to handle the situations himself. 

They were going to pull an all nighter to get this down to a science. 

Larry took a seat beside his new ally and set his coffee down beside his laptop. "Okay J, let's start to work. Just start at the beginning and don't lead out a signal detail. I want to know everything I possibly can."

"I like your enthusiasm but this isn't something to be excited about. This is serious, people have already died for this." J clicked open a notepad app on his laptop. "Let's start by trying to figure out who the students in your class are. The academy does the hard work, picking reincarnated up from all over the world, but they don't know always who they are. There are signs that a person has been reincarnated, and that's what academy recruiters look for. Technically speaking, that's what I am though I prefer to call myself an agent."

"Agent J. Nice. Original. Go on."

If he wasn't trying to keep things serious, Larry was certain that J would have punched him square in the jaw. The other man rolled his eyes. "Funny. Look, you're their teacher. You must have some idea of who these students really are. Are there any-"

"I know exactly who's who." 

"What?! You've only been here a couple days! I can understand having a couple ideas, in fact I expect it but knowing exactly-"

"Does your little organization know about what goes on at night at the New York Museum of Natural History?" Larry asked. He was surprised with the lack of people who truly knew what was going on at that place. It had been coming alive for decades, and surely more people than just a couple night guards knew what all had been going on. It wasn't any night program, it wasn't robots or actors, it was magic. When J nodded, Larry did feel some relief about not having to explain the whole thing to him. "I was a night guard on and off there for a couple of years. I know how to recognize them."

J set his laptop in Larry's lap and gestured for him to go on. It only took him a couple minutes to fully list out the names of his students and who they were, then he turned the screen so J could read off of it. Almost immediately, the agent frowned. Larry couldn't explain it but suddenly all the confidence he'd gained about being able to solve what was going on, about being able to pull off protecting these kids from a terrible fate, disintegrated. J pointed to a name at the top of the list, "This is bad." He said simply. "Very, very bad."

"Why? What's so bad about it?" Larry asked, and looked to see who it was that was stirring up J's fears. _Aker - Prince Ahkmenrah_. Of course. It had to be him. That boy just couldn't stay out of trouble whether it was in a museum, or ancient Egypt or the modern world. "What did he do?"

It took J a couple of minutes to find the best way to word what he wanted to say, the way he wanted to say it. Before he was certain this was just another case, nothing out of the ordinary for what he did for a living but if Ahkmenrah and Kahmunrah were this involved...

"It's not what he did, Larry, it's what he didn't do. Or rather, what he hasn't done before. Him and his brother, they played a key role in the existance of reincarnation. The tablet  of Ahkmenrah...it contains the secrets to eternal life but before now neither prince has ever been reborn throughout the course of history. We've had cases of people as far back as Mesopotamia but neither of them. The only thing that can really be said about it is that there is a theory, mind you a theory, that if either were to come around it would...be possible to reverse the Tablet's affects."

Reverse it's affects....that would mean that everyone at the museum would die. All the kids here would die.... "Why would someone go through all this just to kill a group of kids?" He asked. 

The look J gave him suggested he was missing something. However, the agent just shook his head sadly and kept his reply simple. "There are cruel, cruel people in this world mister Daley. I've had to face them and the horrors that come with being reincarnated every day. These people...don't care who they hurt. The students in your class have, most likely and with a few notable exceptions, have lived more than twice. The people who shot up the library, they have killed them before and they want to do it again." 

A shiver of fear spread down Larry's spine. He wondered what J was trying to hide from him and in all honesty, he was beginning to not want to know. Whoever this group was trying to kill innocent kids, they were a force to be reckoned with. They weren't going to stop until one side was dead.

J closed the document on his laptop and brought up a file. Inside was nothing but documents distinguished by named and dates. _Ryan Murdoch, 19, 1976, Molly Andrews, 27, 1899, Patrick Simpson, 42, 2004, Shaun Logan, 5, 1938, Annie McCoughan, 12, 1952, John Dunn, 2 months, 1905, Eric Cooper, 15, 2000, Francis Burns, 32, 1970, Hayden Collins, 56, 1945, Matthew Kirkwood, 8, 1926, Tommy Brown, 24, 1876, Jonathan Russo, 38, 1950, Rita Overland, 17, 1987, Oliver Martin, 6, 1993._

"Who are these people?"

"Just a few of the thousands of people who were murdered due to being reincarnated, the year of their deaths and their ages at the times. Some may have been your students." J thought back to the list Larry had given him and to one name on it in particular. "Ryan Murdoch and Oliver Martin for sure." 

He could remember their cases perfectly. Ryan was headed to London with his band to cash in on the punk rock scene happening there. His band mates went sight seeing while Ryan went ahead to try and get a gig at a popular night club in Whitecastle. J had been new. 15 years old, eager to make a difference and eager to find those he'd lost many years ago. He raced after Ryan, and upon seeing the boy for the first time, saw the face of someone who he had held close so long ago. It was too late when J finally had enough information to move in. As he arrived at the club scene, there was a scream and he caught sight of the young musician laying dead by the bar. He'd been stabbed in the leg, in a spot that sliced an artery and only gave him a few minutes to live before bleeding out. When help arrived Ryan was already gone and laying in a pool of his own blood. His killer slipped away in a fog of black leather, tattoos and piercings. J spent the rest of the night thinking about how close he had been and recalling the last time he had seen the man Ryan used to be alive. He missed him horribly and for once was actually grateful for his own death. It came before the man who would become Ryan's. J realized that seeing him dead at his feet was the one thing he never wanted to have happened in any course of history. 

It had been so long since Ryan Murdoch, the guitarist and sinfer with dreams of playing along side the great punk bands of England, had passed away and he'd not reappeared in all the years which went by. J was beginning to loose hope of ever seeing him again. Then Cordy had dropped a file on his desk and told him about a little boy in Toronto with potential. J looked at his picture and suddenly felt like dancing. There he was again. Young and healthy, like he was when J had first met him. Within an hour, the agent was on a plane heading to see him again and make sure he could protect him. This was it. J was going to have his family back. 

The police were cleaning the blood off the walls when he got to the Martin house. Let the record show that out of all the messed up things J's seen in his...incredibly long existence that Oliver Martin's murder scene was the worst. All he could think about that night was the little boy he'd known and loved crying out for help while some demonic man stabbed him to death. It left J feeling hollow and he spent the next three years on desk work to avoid having to feel anything. 

Ryan and Oliver and the man that J had known was back now And this time...J would save him. He would save his son if it was the last thing he ever did. In this life or the next. 

"How do we save them though?" Larry asked. "How can we protect the students from experienced killers?"

"Simple. We remind them who they really are. Every person has a key moment that defies who they are as a person. If we can find that moment, make them relive it, we can bring them out. And bring out their skills. Then, we can teach them how to survive. This could be difficult though So to start...I'd recommend talking to them about their dreams. If we can confirm who they are it may give hints on how to bring them out." 

"Their dreams?" Lance had passed out and missed class. Oz told him it happened all the time. That he himself had had nightmares about a woman. They were memories trying to surface in dreams...

"Yeah. Although for a lot of them they're going to seem more like nightmares."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So any new ideas about J?


	13. Chapter 13

When Jason woke up after finally getting the news it was safe to return to the dorms following the shooting the first thing he noticed was that his roommate was no where in sight. He groaned and forced himself to sit up in bed, to try and wake up and get a handle on what was going on. Damn hockey practices...they were way to early. Though it was funny, Oz usually let the alarm wake up the guy in the bed across from him. Jason woke up by himself with no annoying buzzing sound yanking him out of slumber. He looked over at the hockey captain's side of the room, at his dresser to be specific. The clock read 2 am. Hockey practice didn't start until 6. And it wasn't for another day or two. 

Oh. He knew where Oz was. 

He would never say this out loud to anyone so long as he lived but Jason had to admit, even though it was just to himself in his head, that his roommate had guts. Lots and lots of guts. Guts that would be blown open for acting so stupid and doing something that was now incredibly dangerous, but guts none the less. 

He had to help him. To make sure that he owed Jason one. Yeah, that was it. Favors. No more waking up at crowpiss because someone had to grab their gear and hit the ice. That would be pleasant. To flaunt it over Oz's head and remind him that any slip ups, and he'd go rat him out to the dean and make sure he was expelled for such behavior! Briefly Jason considered calling one of the teachers, just in case things got bad real quick, but decided against it. Instead, he started to round up some of the football team for back up. 

...And when none of them woke up to answer their phones, he called Aker and Alvin. 

They dressed in a hurry and ran outside to catch a cab. The place where Oz was wasn't far from the school, they could have walked if they needed to, but it was cold and they needed to get their as quickly as possible which just so happened to mean squeezing together in the backseat of a Taxi while some guy who smelled like salami and fish drove them off of school grounds and towards the club district. 

* * *

The Boneyard originally opened as a punk club back in the 70s but since then had changed to fit with the modern club scene. Raves were held every week, specialty drinks were enough to get just the right amount of tipsy, and it was dark. Glowsticks and glow paint were handed out by the door. It was a restricted club, of course, but that didn't mean that minors couldn't get in. Fake IDs worked wonders these days, don't they?

Academia's GSA had been getting in for the past couple of weeks. 

Ever since they realized the club was only going to have three members, they devoted a lot of their time to just having fun with the members they did have. Raves were popular. They'd sneak out late at night, and drink and dance and dare each other to do things that would get them into a lot of trouble if anyone ever found out. Nothing really serious, like doing drugs or going home with someone but stuff that could really get them into hot water at school. Like what Kames had dared Oz to do the last time they were out. 

Tattoos were prohibited at Academia. That didn't mean that Oz never wanted one before. He drew exactly what he had wanted onto the inside cover of his history text book and shown it to his friends before going out. He'd wanted a rose, deep red, over his left shoulder. A vine slide down back, and petals wilted down his arms. They had been careful with this tat though. They made sure that it could be hidden underneath the sleeve of a T-shirt. The guy they had seen to get it done was quite skillful, it was beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that Kames and Amy wanted to get their own tonight after the rave. 

Shooting or not, they wanted to get this done. 

Some remix was blowing out the club speakers as both teens and young adults danced to the pulsing beat. If you could even call it dancing. They were more like hopping, bouncing on the spot or grinding against each other. A couple girls were trying to get a twerk squad going in the back. Kames, Amy and Oz were drinking some of the club's most popular drinks and scooping out the hotties who walked by. 

It had been Amy's idea to go to The Boneyard every chance they got. A gay club. Whenever they were asked about what kind of activities their club did, they could say they were going to a gay rights event and wouldn't be lying as much. 

Kames was supposed to be calling his boyfriend soon but that wasn't something he wanted to get into tonight. Petey hated the club scene, acted like a prick whenever Kames tried to invite him out. It was best to just let him go about his own business. Besides, tonight the Boneyard was full of very promising looking young men. Dancing with one of them didn't sound like a bad idea. 

Soon after they arrived, Amy was pulled off by a group of girls covered from head to toe in neon, body glitter and glow paint and Oz went off to go introduce himself to some wannabe body-builder type guy who may or may not have been twins with Chris Evans, leaving Kames standing by the bar sipping his drink and watching the club come to life. From where he was, Kames could see who was coming and going, so it came as a real shock to him when his little brother came striding in through the front door with Alvin following behind him and Jason Sims, Football star, bringing up the rear. He dropped his drink and started bolting to the back of the club. 

From where he was, Oz saw his friend bolt for it and ran after him. He knew it was risky to come out just after the incident in the library, but he knew that if Kames was running for it, something couldn't be right. He pulled Amy away from her new friends on the way after Kames and wasted no time filling her in. They stuck out like sore thumbs, and it wasn't long until the others from their school caught sight of them and started chasing after the GSA trio. 

By the time they got to the back room, where Oz, Kames and Amy had retreated to, they had their backs to the entrance to the Boneyard, and had no way of noticing the two men in long, brown coats and wool caps that entered the club. The two men exchanged glances, and one gestured to an oddly shaped lump in one of the pockets on the inside of his jacket. The other nodded and they set out to the back room. The only thing anyone in the club heard them say as they followed after the six students was, " _Sometimes these kids just make it too easy_."

 


	14. Chapter 14

It was hours after Larry and J had decided to call it a night and crash when the phone started ringing off the hook. Larry groaned and forced himself to get up out of bed to answer it. J was fast asleep on the couch, snoring softly with one arm tucked under his head. For an agent who was supposed to be on his guard 24/7, he seemed to be a deep sleeper. It was a good thing Larry hadn't been sleeping right lately or else they all would have been in trouble. The former night guard walked to the wall phone in the kitchen and answered, trying to keep himself from sounding asleep. "Hello?"

"Mr. Daley?"

Dean Zelders? This was pretty early for him. From what Larry understood, if he needed to discuss anything with any member of the faculity, he would wait until the morning just before class started when he knew exactly where everyone was. This was certainly strange...but not the strangest thing he'd encountered since taking the job offer here. This was probably about why he'd decided to turn an English class into history. 

"Yes? What's up sir?"

"Mr Daley! I just got some of the security to do a quick check on the rooms and some of the students are missing! Your students! The brothers Aker and Kames, Bello and Sims, Amy and Alvin, they're gone! Do you know where they would have fun off to?! I can't stress how critical it is that they return to the campus immediately for punishment!"

Great. These kids couldn't keep themselves out of trouble, just like their counterparts at the museum. You would have thought that being shot at and nearly get their guts blown out would have scared them into behaving but...well...they were _really_ like the museum gang. Which meant, of course, that Larry was going to have to go out and try and find them and make sure they didn't get themselves killed, hurt or lost. You really had to wonder what was going on in the students' minds, if they were that stupid to go out and try and have a night on the town after nearly being killed. Did they crave the rush of danger or were they all just unbelievably idiotic.

"No, I don't know where they are but if you give me a couple minutes, I'll get myself together and go out and find them. They can't have gotten that far." Jason seemed like the prime suspect for this sort of thing. Odds were he'd grabbed a couple of his football team buddies and ran into town to practice at a cleared field or catch a game on tv somewhere and the others came running after them to make sure they got back by morning. It wouldn't take too long to track the students all down and reign them in. "Don't punish them too severely though, sir. I'm sure a couple detentions of scrapping chewing gum out from underneath the bleachers on the football field and the hockey rink will put them in the right mind set again."

He couldn't help them survive if they got expelled. 

"Just get them back here and in my office within two hours or it'll be their asses and yours!" _Click_. 

Well...that was rude. It was one thing to yell at a guy this early in the morning, it was another to hang up without giving him any details. He didn't know who was more annoying right now, the Dean or the runaway students. They were going to be the death of him, he swore it. When the students were safe, he was going to have to resign his possession here and find a normal job some where else or else he was going to die a lot earlier than he was supposed to. He sighed and rubbed his temples, before going into the living room and giving J a shake. 

"Get up. We're going out. Time to see how good of an agent you are."


	15. Chapter 15

"Do you know what the Dean will do if he finds out what we were doing?! We're going to get kicked out of school! I don't want to go back to Cairo! It's hot as hell and my parents would never let this go! They would totally hold it over me forever! Aker never got kicked out of school! He's such a good, smart boy! Why if they knew half of the shit that little demon got up to when their backs were turned-"

"Kames shut the hell up." Amy hissed and as a cautionary measure, covered the man's mouth to prevent any slip ups. They were huddled in the back room of the Boneyard, behind some old speakers and lights, along with Oz the final third of their triumvirate. Any minute now three peers from their school, including Kames' younger brother Aker and Oz's douchebag room mate Jason, would come running in and they'd be caught in the act of skipping curfew during a possible risk situation. Not that they had never done this before. The GSA snuck out whenever they got the chance. It wasnt their fault the school was boring and full of a bunch of people they strongly disliked. Okay that was any school ever but...

Oz chewed on his lower lip and started scanning the room for anything that could aid in their escape. Perhaps he could hold off Jason and Aker with a janitorial mop but Alvin would just snap it in half! They were trapped like rats...and worse Yet, it was possible that Jason would use the leverage he gained here today to try and put his rival where he wanted him. Like hell that would happen! He saw a large black tarp hanging above them on a shelf and pulled it down. With his eyes fixed on the door, Oz slowly and cautiously starting creeping over to the other side of the doorway. He hid behind a stack of boxes and started unfolding the tarp. When the others entered the back room looking for them, he'd use this to distract them just long enough for him, Amy and Kames to escape. No problem, this could work... 

The door opened and a man entered the room. The only problem was, this man was definitely not Jason. Nor was he Alvin or Aker. He was older, and dressed in all black, with most of his face covered And both hands deep in his pockets. He looked around and slowly stepped into the room. "Children..." He called out, and all three members of the GSA shivered. His voice was harsh and wispy, almost painful to listen to. Like nails on a chalkboard. "I know that you're in here. If you come out now, I'll make you're all taken care of humanely."

There was a bulge in the man's pocket and slowly, as he began lifting his hand out, they could see what it was. He was carrying a gun, and what he had just said, _humanely...taken care of humanely..._

This man had to have been the one involved with the school shooting. He wanted to kill them. 

Oz could feel his heart thumping like crazy inside his chest as he realized what needed to be done. If they stayed like this he was going to find them one way or another. They had to get out now, and make a run for it. He glanced over at his friends, and gave a slight nod towards the door to show what he intended. They both nodded, and got ready to sprint. The man had his back to them now, looking between the bottom shelves, and Oz threw the tarp over him, then bolted out the door with Kames and Amy following along behind him. They heard the man shout something but neither looked back to see where he was. 

There was a crowd assembled on the dance floor, grinding together to Fifth Harmony, and it would provide sanctuary for the moment. The merged in with the crowd, lazily making their way towards the door while moving slowly enough so their pursuer would leave before them and allow them more time. Oz was midway through the crowd, trying to ignore a black haired teen grinding casually against hip, and asking him dance, when he was finally bra enough to look back over his shoulder and see where the man was. Amy and Kames were no longer behind him, and nowhere to be seen. 

"Son of a bitch." He mumbled, and tried movin back in the direction he'd come from. Hopefully their friend had decided against the dance floor route and was passing by the bar on the way out, but luck liked to pass Oz over lately. A hand reached out from behind him and grabbed his shoulder, and despite any urge Oz had to remain stoic and clearheaded, calm and in control of the situation, he screamed. 

"Damn it man! What the fuck?!" 

Oz spun around quickly, knowing that voice well. Jason stood there, his hands over his ears and wincing. 

"Jesus fuck what's the matter with you?" He asked, "And where are Kames and Amy?"

Oz never thought he would see the day he was actually happy to see the stupid football blockhead. He breathed a sigh of relief. Being with Jason was better than being alone against a killer. 

"Did you bring Mr. Daley or the Dean?" He asked him, and Jason shook his head,

"No way. I'm going to use this to finally sleep in in the mornings! And you can just-"

Suddenly he stopped, his eyes growing to the size of saucers as they became fixed on something behind Oz. To the hockey captain's utter terror, for a moment they flased a completely different color, a bright, shimmering gold, before returning to their normal murky blue color. 

"Jason-" 

The other male grinned wildly, in a way that reminded Oz of a feral wolf, and let out what could only be classified as a holler. He pushed Oz aside, causing him to fall backwards into the legs of a gaggle of surprised dancers, and raced past him. Oz could see the man with the gun lurking only a few feet away, behind Oz when he had first encountered his roommate, and  his disbelief, Jason charged right at him. The blond didn't stop running, he sprinted right up to the man and socked him right in the jaw. The man with the gun fell back, his weapon skidding out of his pocket and into the middle of they floor. Dancers gasped and scattered away from it, some started to run for the doors, some ran to the bar for assistance but most pulled out their phones and started spreading news about what they had discovered on the club floor. 

As Oz continued to watch what was most likely going to become the most shocking and confusing moment of his young life, Jason stomped his foot down on the man's throat, and kicked him a couple of times in the ribs until a loud cracking sound was heard. He then spat at the man, and sauntered back over to where he had left Oz. 

"Sorry 'bout that Darlin'. Saw that feller tryin' to mosey up behind ya' and pull a fast one. Not today kemosobe, not today." 

"...What?" Oz studied English before coming to America and he was fairly certain that was another language completely. He was confident enough with his language skill set to know that was not something they taught you in any EAL classes. 

Jason just kept grinning, and offered Oz a hand getting up. He took it, and slowly climbed back to his feet. He didnt know what had gotten into Jason but the guy may have just saved his life, and he was going to owe him big time for that. 

"Well...thank you for saving my life." Oz said awkwardly, trying to act as nonchalant as he possibly could. "So...I guess I owe you something. What do you want? No more early morning hockey practices?"

Jason shook his head, the second most shocking thing Oz had witnessed in the past half hour, and said, "Darlin', No thanks is necessary. A wild stallion like me just gotta help damsels in distress, and you were lookin' as bigga one as any. Though if ya'al really wanted to this fella won't be opposed to a token of affection." 

"...I have no idea what the hell you just said." 

"Ya'al could give your rescuer a kiss for his good deeds. That nasty varmint was gonna splatter your brains out all ova' the ground."

Oz snorted, "That's not funny Jason. You want me to brake another part of your body?" Gay kid jokes were something he would not tolerate. 

Jason scrunched up his nose, and raised one of his eyebrows, looking at Oz like he was the crazy one. "Who you talking about there boy? I ain't no Jason. Name's Jedediah, my amigos call me Jed." 

" _Jedediah_?" 

Both boys looked over towards the doors. Standing there staring at them both like he had just seen a ghost was Mr. Daley, that J guy at his side. The agent raced to the assailant laying on the floor, while Mr. Daley just stood there staring. 

"Mr. Daley I think something's wrong with Jason-"

"That's not Jason," Mr. Daley mumbled. "Well...not entirely Jason. We should....should find the others and talk."

 


	16. Chapter 16

"Y'all I'm not so sure 'bout this here wagon. Where's the horse?"

Oz sighed and rubbed his forehead. Not even fifteen minutes of this old timey cowboy act and he was beginning to loose his cool. Okay, it had been a bit intriguing at first, now it was just getting on his last nerve. One would think that Jay would get tired of....whatever game he was trying to play here and give up. But no. He was fully committed to the act.

"He's lost it." Kames stated quite plainly as they piled into Mr. Daley's car. "One too many footballs to the head I'm guessing."

"Or his mom dropped him many, many times when he was a baby." Aker suggested."Either way he's quite out of it."

Jay stood there looking in at the vehicle in confusion for a few minutes, before Oz finally got annoyed enough to pull him in himself. "Sit down, buckle up and shut up." He told him, and to his surprise Jay actually complied. Something was seriously wrong with his head right now....

It was almost as surprising as Mr. Daley and this J guy not digging into them about sneaking out to go clubbing or the apparent hit out on their lives. It was going to happen sooner or later. Once they figured out exactly how many screws were missing from Jason's head, they were going to dig into them all about their little misadventure at the club.

"I'm still confused about this." Amy said. "Mr. Daley, should we take Jason to the hospital, I think that we should have him checked out-"

"He'll be fine in a couple of hours. The shock of having everything come flooding back, it lasts for a couple hours." J explained, "I think it was the gun. That's what we're missing. _Realistic_ livinb memories. They need something from their past, something they went through before that played a crucial part in their development but it has to seem as real as possible-"

"Jedediah was a cowboy. He would have had a gun pulled on plenty of times before but that's the closest Jay's ever come to being in a gun fight." Larry finished. Someone pulled one on him again, and everything came flashing back. It made sense. "But then how do we bring the others out? We don't know what will trigger it. It could be...could be the birth of a child, their first battle, I mean it has to be something big right?"

"I should have seen this sooner...Larry we're going to have to take this to the next level. We're running out of time."

Kames looked down at his little brother and raised an eyebrow. He had a feeling that Aker had some idea of what was going on, or that they were somehow all connected. This wasn't making any sense but...it seemed familiar. Like he knew more about this than he ever could have. This was just...it didn't make any sense to him anymore.

Amy leaned against Alvin, completely done with this conversation. They weren't going to explain anything to her, so why bother make an attempt to understand? She would figure out what was happening at their school, and what it had to do with Jay and the guys who were trying to kill them. She was very curious about that last part, but understood it would be a while until they got answers.

Oz looked back and forth between Jay, seemingly fascinated with the concept of a seatbelt, and the two older men in the front seat. This seemed eerily familiar some how, and made his brain itch at the thought, but....nothing surfaced. He thought it may have to do with the woman in his dreams but he just could not be sure anymore. Everything was too weird and he was loosing patience.

"Could words drive them out?" Larry asked, "If they were words they heard before?"

"Words are the strongest force on earth, Mr. Daley, i would not be surprised." J replied, "Mine was as simple as a word, but it did not occur to me that the process was linked to reliving old memories....we can try and crack the royals, Amelia Earhart and even Al Capone tomorrow but for now I'd advise to take them back to the campus grounds and let these students rest."

Something flashed before his eyes, a memory of his son. He was exhausted, and tattered, and beaten, but he grinned up at him.

" _How did I do_?" He asked, not realizing that he had not already achieved the pride of his father. It was impossible for J not to be proud of him.

" _Spectacular_." J had told him in a past life, "Go rest. Gather your strength. There will always be more challenges and more battles, and you must be ready to face them."

Larry tried to keep his eyes on the road, but it was nearly impossible for him not to notice the strange look of gloom in the other man's eyes. He wore his emotions too easily, a trait that had been gained following his first death. "Are you thinking about him?"

"Hmm?"

"About your son,you told me about him before." Larry explained. "He's in my class right? You'll find him." He paused, before asking. "Is uh...is he what brought you out? Hearing his name maybe?"

J managed a small, sad smile, and shook his head. "No." He said simply, "But years ago, the last time I saw him before I died, I promised him that we would meet again. He was going to battle, you see. Would be a few weeks before his return...and we did. Though I was already dead when he got to me. But a promise is a promise, Mr. Daley, and I will not rest until I met him again, just as I said we would."

Larry thought about Nicky and how far he would be willing to go to save him, to see him after death and make sure he was doing okay in the realm of the living. It made sense. It was a thing that all fathers did. "Then...what memory brought you out?"

It was simple as any. Two words told to him in a play, back in his high school drama class. Those words that changed his life and sent him on a spiraling quest. A phrase said to him by one, but once changed by thousands.

_Hail Caesar_.


	17. Chapter 17

The next morning did not go exactly as planned....

Upon getting the students back to their dorms, J and Larry went back to his apartment to get some more rest and try and strategize. There had to have been a word or phrase, that upon being said, would bring some of the students out. It would take days, weeks even, and time was something they did not have, but they had to at least try. J woke first, and disappeared into the kitchen to get something to eat while Larry slept in a bit longer. They left around 6:30, and headed back to the campus in Larry's car which ranked of liquor from the night before.

The men were on the way to their classroom when they passed Jay in the hall, scowling and clad In only a pair of Dallas Cowboys pajama pants and stomping along.

"Jay's back." Larry mused, as they watched him go. "Why do you think he's so angry looking?"

"He has two sets of memories," J explained. "Poor boy probably has a wallop of a headache right now. I wouldn't expect to see him in class."

It wouldn't be long until aspects of Jedediah started mixing with aspects of Jay. Not long at all...

Larry nodded to show that he understood (even though he did not) and unlocked the door to the classroom. He and J entered, only to find the Dean sitting there waiting for them both.

"Gentlemen," Zelders said, "It's pleasant to see you this morning. How did last night go?"

"All students went home safe and sound, sir. There's nothing to worry about-"

Dean Zelders laughed. "Nothing to worry about? Mr. Daley, last night three students of yours, two of which are underage, went out drinking! What do you think their parents will say if they find out?! And they will find out, because that same night someone made an attempt on their lives! Twice!"

"Which is why we need to get to the bottom of this immediately-" Larry tried to reason, and looked to J for some back up.

Dean Zelders just waved him off, "Larry you just don't understand it! We can be sued for such a thing, and it's easier to cut the problem now than face it in court."

"Cut?" Larry repeated, "What you mean like...fired?"

"You can't fire Mr. Daley!" J objected, "The students are in danger-"

"Yes," Dean Zelders agreed. "Of developing drinking problems! Both of you, out of my sight. I've already taken the liberty of removing your things. You may pick them up in the office."

"Dean, with all do respect, if you fire me these students are going to...they're going to get hurt-"

"Are you threatening me now?"

Larry sighed dramatically and gave up trying to reason with the man. He turned his back on him, and headed back out the door with his hands in his pockets. First real teaching job, first job he's been excited for in a long time, and he gets fired on his first week. It wasn't fair, it didn't make sense. J followed behind him, for what reason Larry did not now. He was not going to be around the Students any more so he would be of little help to J. Perhaps he enjoyed the free bed and meals at Larry's apartment.

"He's hiding something," J told him once he caught up. "He's hiding something important. I can tell from the way he looked. Nervous, ocassionally shivering. The heater didn't turn on in the rooms yet and he was sweating."

Larry didn't say anything, this was all too bizarre and he was getting annoyed with chasing these wild things. He just wanted to go home, and possibly curl up in a ball for a few hours and rethink life.

...The dean had been sweating though. Larry could see stains slowly spreading underneath his armpits. Tweed jackets were horrible for giving that kind of thing away....

He sighed again, and rubbed his forehead almost furiously. "Look, I'm not saying that you're wrong. But what can we do? I just got fired and we have no idea what he could be hiding-"

"Mr. Daley!"

Both J and Larry stopped, and turned back over the shoulders to see how was pursuing them. The later had been hoping it was the dean, reconsidering his stance on the current issue, but Aker was alright too. The boy skidded to a halt, and thrust a heavy binder into his former teacher's hands.

"Last night got me thinking," he explained. "My brother and I have no enemies so who would try and kill us? I don't think it was because of us, per say, but because of the school itself. Students have been dying here suspcisouly since doors opened back in-"

Larry frowned, and opened the book. It was clear that Aker had spent the entire night working on it, gathering as much information as he possibly could. The first page was a print off of the online website as well as general information about the school. Underneath it's name was the date it was established. A very familiar date.

"This is the day the tablet of Ahkmenrah was discovered..." He murmured, and something else caught his eye. The school emblem, he had never quite closely examined it before, but on closer inspection it would appear that each and every symbol present on the tablet was present there as well. It could not be a coincidence.

_The end will come._..

...What if it meant...more than one thing? The tablet's power brought the museum to life at night, but it also brought around reincarnations...made Ahkmenrah live forever. What if there was another negative to it's power? What if, since it could breath a new life and identity into the souls of those long deceased...it could take it away again.

_The end will come_.

 Kahmunrah was able to use its power to unleash an undead army...

_The end will come_.

It gave the old night guards the power of youth, and strength.

_The end will come._

...what would happen if the two mixed. Arguably Kahmunrah's army wasn't very strong, or well controlled, but with enough power and guidance they could be a force to be reckoned with...

J and Aker were talking about something. About how the school could remain open with so much death plaguing its student body, and Larry remembered something else.

No student applied to go here, they were offered scholarships, full tuition, and the school went to great lengths to get them here. Some as far as Cairo and Rome. Why would they want these students here unless...

Suddenly, he was glad he'd gotten fired.

...it could not be true though. J worked for someone allied with the school and J would never harm these kids on purpose...Would he?


	18. Chapter 18

All Larry had to go on was what J said to him, and he didn't even tell him what his full name was, or who the people he worked for were doing. He knew they were trying to help those who were reincarnated but why? And how?

This was getting out of hand, and he didn't know who he could trust anymore. J said his son was here, at the school, but he made no attempt to contact him and he sounded so cryptic...

"You should get to class Aker." Larry stated, wanting to keep him away from the agent as a precaution. "You're going to be late-"

"I looked in and only Al and Nathan are there. I know that Alvin was going to sleep in, given what happened last night, but the others are just out and about. I wouldn't count on Nathan and Al to stick around much longer either. Those history projects are never going to be finished at this rate." Aker smiled somewhat. "Unless....this counts as a project?" He asked hopefully.

"I just got fired. I can't take it in for marks."

"Damn it."

J snatched the book from Larry's hands and started flipping through some of the pages. He stopped at one, and frowned. "This was...the class list for '87...or rather the considered class list...."

"Considered class?" Larry repeated, "What like, students who the school was looking into?"

J nodded slowly. "Yes....There's names with...with Xs beside them....deceased before they could be accepted, and I think the circled ones were ones who the school got to first....and then there's just names with nothing around them...."

Larry raised an eyebrow. J seemed to be growing uneasy as he scrolled down the list. "So what?" He asked, "These people were suspected of being reincarnated but nothing could prove it? That kinda thing?" Was the academy, and to a lesser extent, the assassination group willing to let someone go?

"Mr. Daley...your name is on the list."

"What?!"

Larry snatched the book from J's hands and scrolled down. Sure enough, wedged between two crossed out names of people who had been lost, was his name, and his age back in 1987. He frowned, and tried to remember back then. There had been....talk of attending another school but it had never been named or if it had been, he could not remember it now. He felt a chill roll up his spine, and wondered just...just who he really was. Maybe...he had been tied to this whole tablet nonsense for a reason. A reason that he would only remember in a past life....

"This is creepy," he mumbled, and gave the book back to J. "This is too creepy! I can't...I can't handle this right now! This could mean that I'm in danger now or maybe I've been all along..." He was getting so tired of this shit. He just wanted to go home and nap for twenty years.

"Mr. Daley-" Aker started to say, but seemed to forget his point and stopped after he'd gotten those words out. He folded his hands together anxiously, and looked around. He shivered a bit as well. Larry stopped, and watched him for a moment or so. Aker had clearly been on edge for days, but before now he had remained perfectly kept in order to avoid any more unfortunate events.

"What is it Aker?"

The boy paused, and chewed on his lower lip before saying, "I know that I am being watched."

"By who?" J asked, "Why didn't you mention something earlier?"

"Who would believe me?" Aker asked, "There's...look it's not the traditional type of watching. There's...there's cameras in the dorms."

"Cameras?" Larry repeated, his earlier suspicions bubbling up in the back of his mind.

"Yes," Aker said slowly, "I noticed one a few weeks ago before this all started. Cameras. Small but still there. I only saw the one in my room because I slipped and fell into the wall. It must have been loose because it fell right into my lap. I have it back at the dorm room, but I don't feel...safe there right now."

Why would he? The kid was a walking, bloody target.

"We'll go back to your apartment Mr. Daley and have a look," J said, and for once Larry was glad that he had taken the reigns. "Then we'll see what we can do about reaching the others."

For the while the other students were on their own. It wasn't appropriate for either J or Larry to approach any of them and tell them to meet at his apartment, but the longer the two left them alone, the higher the risk. Finding his name on the class registry didn't sit well with Larry either. He was involved with this deeper than he thought, and whatever was going on here seemed to be far more dangerous than it originally appeared.

~~~

There were several light brown water stains on the ceiling of the nurse's office. Jay stared up at them intently, trying to distract himself from the pounding within his head. He wanted to get up and run, just run somewhere and see what the world could offer him, but the practical side of him, the side he'd had his whole life, said to stay. He couldn't find any of the answers he craved if he left.

He started humming, nothing quite extraordinary, just an odd little tune that popped into his head. Oh home, home on the range, where the deer and the antelope play...

The football captain shook his head violently. No, no deer or ranges. This was fucking New York City, not bloody Texas. What was wrong with him?

An image flashed before his eyes, of people closing in around him with knives and sharp spears, and he felt pain shoot all over his body and then, he relaxed and it was all gone.

"I'm loosing my mind..." He mumbled to himself, "Old Jede-"he stopped, catching himself midsentence. Who was...this Jedediah and why did the name ring so familiar in Jay's ears.

...hadn't there been...a man they learned about in class who went by that name? Jedediah Smith, or some other common last name...and...hadn't he been a cowboy...?

Jay laughed to himself, knowing that he was truly going insane.

There was a knock on the door but before waiting to hear a reply, Oz entered the room. He kept his head down, and said nothing as he made his way to Jay's bedside and sat down in a nearby chair.

"...They fired Mr. Daley." He stated bluntly. "...I thought you would like to know."

Jay sighed, and placed his hands on his chest while he laid there. "I see...and that J guy...is he gone too?"

Oz nodded, "I think so. He...he was the only one who seemed to know about why people were trying to kill us but...but I guess it's silly. It couldn't have been as complicated as he made it out to be." He managed a smile, but Kay had known his roommate long enough to know it was a fake one. Oz was getting scared, they all were, and the odds weren't stacking up well in their favor.

Once again the two sides of The 14 year old were at war. The part that answered to Jay screamed to call Oz a fag again, and get into another fist fight to avoid facing their problems, while the newer part, the part that only knew the name Jedediah, fought to help him. This time, Jedediah proved to be strong than Jay.

He reached over and put his hand on Oz's shoulder, "We're going to be okay." He told him, and meant it too. "Assassinations and strange conspiracy plots...they only exist in movies. We're all going to be just fine."

Another image flashed before his eyes, and this time it was beautiful. There were mountains behind him, wide open plains in front of him, and the sun setting overhead. And in that moment, everything became clearer for Jay.

"Holy shit..." He mumbled to himself, still lost in an old memory.

"What?" Oz asked, "You alright?"

"Yeah..." Jay said slowly. "Hey listen...did you ever hear about the theory of...of reincarnation?"

 


	19. Chapter 19

Sally had been on the phone with her mother for two hours. Teddy knew because he had been counting the minutes on the old pocket watch his grandfather had given him before he passed away. Amy was coming down from a hangover on the couch roughly five feet to his left, and offered little in the means of communication. He had known that today was going to be a rough one.

To be honest Teddy didn't know what Sally saw in him. He was fairly forgetful when it came to dates, and as a result, often missed theirs and he wasn't the handsomest boy in school (it was a tie between Lance and Aker, for sure) but somehow she still stuck with him. He would never understand it completely.

Sally's parents were very accepting of the relationship the two had. As a matter of fact, Teddy had enjoyed dinner at his girlfriend's home quite often during the spring and winter breaks. On the other hand, Teddy's parents were not approving of their son dating a teenage mother.

As far as Teddy was concerned, Jean Baptise was as important to him as Sally. She had yet to share with him the details of her son's conception, about who his biological father was, but that didn't matter. Teddy hoped that it wouldn't, that Jean's father was a clean man whose family had few health problems, but he knew one day it would. Sally was calling home now, making arrangements should anything happen to her or Teddy this semester. That was hard to explain to your parents for sure. That you may be killed or had suspicion that you were going to be seriously hurt sometime in the near future. Teddy knew the news would only upset his parents further so he kept to himself, and supported Sally.

The door to the girls' room burst open and Alister dashed inside. He was carrying Nathan over his shoulder, who didn't appear to be too pleased about the arrangement. He was hitting his taller, stronger friend and squirming in his hold. Alister stopped in the middle of the room, out of breath, and pale.

"Teach is gone."

"What do you mean lad?" Teddy asked, "Mind keeping it down a tone? Sally is on the phone-"

"I mean," Alister repeated and did nothing to lower his volume. "Teach. Is. GONE. We went to class and saw that he wasn't there. Dean happened to be walking by so we asked what was up and he said...he said Larry quit. Didn't show up this morning!"

Amy straightened up on the couch, her face riddled with worry. "Didn't show up?"

"Yeah!" Alister said in alarm, and finally set his shorter companion down. "Something freaky is going on here, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it! Meet me in the library later, alright?"

Oh yes, the wonderful, fantastic library were they almost all died. What a safe meet up spot. Sally was about to object but Alister was already out the door and gone. She had to hand it to him, he could certainly move when he was motivated to. Nathan grunted something to them, and left after Alister.

Teddy sighed loudly and rubbed his temples, "This is not good. I don't like where this is headed."

There was something very unnerving about what had transpired in the past couple of days, something almost supernatural. Mr. Daley believed that and now he was gone. He was their best bet for surviving what was going to transpire next.

"We have to find Mr. Daley and-"

A white piece of paper slid into the room from the hall. It was blank, except for two simple sentences in the middle of the page. Sally scooped it up and read it;

"Mandatory school assembly in the gymnasium tonight. 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM. All classes tomorrow are cancelled."

"That's a really fucking strange time for an assembly." Amy stated. "I don't want to go."

"You have to. It's mandatory." Teddy pointed out. "I suppose that...maybe the Dean didn't have a better time? Maybe he has some meetings beforehand and this was the next closest possible time?"

Whatever it was, the three of them were going to have to be in attendance that night. The whole school was. They didn't have any choice.

\------

Kames rubbed at his eyes, fighting the urge to fall asleep. He was alone in his room, his brother God knows where, and he felt sick. Utterly sick, like at any moment his stomach would promptly toss his intestines and other organs up for him to see. He was cuddling a bottle of aspirin, debating whether he should go see the nurse, when he heard it.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

Like beating drums, there it was, clear as day. He groaned and rubbed at his forehead. The band kids next door were practicing again...

He forced his eyes open and saw with horror he wasn't in his room anymore. It all melted away, into this cramped space, dim with the only light coming from a crack in the ceiling. The thumping was getting louder, and Kames was almost certainly it was the slow and rhythmic pounding of a drum. He walked towards the moonlight, his stomach pain slowly subsiding as he grew closer. He stepped into the moonlight and looked up.

It was red. The moon was completely red. He screamed, and tried to back up, but invisible attackers held him in place. Tears built up in his eyes, as one made himself visible.

"The end will come..." He promised the boy, strutting forward with a smug sense of self confidence. He held an unusual blade in his hands, curved like a hook. Kames had seen it before in his nightmares. He knew that it was an old Egyptian blade, one that could be bought at collector's auctions, but this one looked...new. It wasn't as dirty, as worn as the ones he'd seen in the hands of wealthy collectors. It was spotless except for the dark stains coating the blade...-

He screamed, but someone covered his mouth. As the man drew closer, Kames was able to see him better. He was Egyptian, like him but...ancient. He dressed in a tunic, wore a crown upon his head, and in his eyes Kames could see the result of years of watching unspeakable horrors.

He also saw, that the man had the same eyes as himself. The same face. It was like looking at himself twenty years in the future.

"The end will come." The older man repeated, and In one striking motion, brought his blade down into Kames' stomach, and gutted him like a salmon.

Suddenly it switched, and Kames was not being held anymore. He was watching as the man who attacked him gutted someone else. Someone...someone who looked an awful lot like...

The moon was shining down upon them both, and the room grew brighter. Kames looked down, and noticed that the stone floor had some kinda of pattern etched into it's surface. It was stained with blood, all of it fresh and still wet....

"There must be 50 of them." The man said, "50 of them, when the planets align in the cosmic order. By then, my brother will have returned."

The man was insane. Kames squirmed back, wanting to get as far away as possible, but hit a wall. He would not talk his eyes off the man, the man with his face, for fear of being noticed. To his surprise, another man, a man dressed in a deep, dark blue tunic, and no crown appeared. Wielding only a broken sword, he hit the man with Kames' face in the back of the head, there was loud crack that reminded Kames of when plates broke, and the man wielding the Egyptian blade collapsed to the ground.

The man in blue said only one thing before Kames' invisible attackers tore him limb from line.

"52."

Kames screamed, and bolted upright. He was on his bed, in his room, alone. It had been yet another nightmare but what did it mean. 52, 52 what? Why did that man looks so much like him? He was so confused and could not afford to waste time worrying about subliminal crap right now.

"Kames!"

Someone was calling for him. The disgruntled boy climbed out of bed, and headed towards the door to his room. He didn't bother to check it, knowing that only one person ever came around here looking for him besides his brother....

Whatever sick game Lance was playing, Kames would have no part of it. Ever since he started attending school here, the British bastard followed him around like a puppy. He was always smiling too, and drinking overpriced tea. He smelled like Earl Gray. Worse, no matter how many times Kames told him off, Lance came right back.

"I've been knocking on your door for over thirty minutes!" Lance announced, the second the door cracked open. He was still smiling. Fucking bastard. "I was beginning to worry that you may have been killed!"

"I'm alive but only literally," Kames replied. "I'm dead on the inside."

The knocking...that had to have been the thumping he heard...

"If you were dead on the inside, wouldn't you be dead in general?" Lance asked, still grinning from ear to ear. "Your heart would be dead."

Kames rolled his eyes. "What do you want Lance?"

The younger male felt around in the pockets of his hoodie, and finally produced a single white sheet of paper. "I was asked by the dean to pass these around," he explained. "Mandatory assembly tonight. The Dean is addressing the whole student body on those attacks that have been happening."

Kames snatched the flyer from his hands and frowned, "Tonight?" He repeated. "Why tonight? Why not in the morning like all the other assemblies?"

"Said he didn't want to interrupt classes. I didn't question him." Lance replied simply. "On the plus side it would appear that most of our morning classes have been cancelled. Mr. Daley is no where to be found. So I was wondering if perhaps you would be interested in joining me for breakf-"

Kames slammed the door shut in his face and retreated back to his bed. If he didn't have to get up this early, he was not going to stay awake.

\---

Al was actually in the library and it wasn't for some class that he could not ditch. That was how Nathan knew the world was going to end soon. He was sitting underneath a window, a book open on his lap, and reading. Actually reading. He looked up when he heard someone coming his way, and waved half-heartedly.

"Hey Nippy!"

"Do not call me Nippy. I'm not that short."

"You're the shortest in the class."

"No way! I'm taller than Jay and Oz-" this wasn't what he has come here for. Just because Alister got on every one of Nathan's nerves, didn't mean he could forget his purpose for coming here. "Look, have you noticed anything weird lately?"

"Someone shot at me Godfather style. I'd say that was weird."

"Not that I mean..." Okay yeah. That was pretty weird too. "I think the people here may be ill. I mean...we all have those weird nightmares right? And Amy was saying something about Jay acting like he didn't know who he was...I just find it all strange."

"You overthink everything." Al said, waving the shorter male off. "I don't know why you're so worried. Sleep disorder is what it is. Or...maybe the school wasn't the intended target. They could get the address wrong, right?"

"Al-"

"Want to hear something cool? Everyone always associates the mob with Italians, right? But there's other forms. Russian Mafia, Chinese Mafia, Canadian Mafia-"

"There is no Canadian Mafia."

"Totally is! Every country has a mob of two! They pop up everywhere!"

Nathan rolled his eyes. It was impossible to win against a man who kept his mind shut to every idea or possibility he didn't agree with. He turned around and started walking back towards the door. If he wasn't going to get a decent conversation here, he may as well go to his room and-

"Hey!"

Nathan looked back over his shoulder. Al had set his book down and was wringing his hands together. "I know what you mean." He stated. "I know why you're here."

"Why is that?"

"You want answers. I do too. You know I never even held a gun before?"

"No Al, I did not know that."

"Yeah. And if...if someone was to confront me, if I am someone these people want to hurt, I don't know how I'm going to stop them. I know I'm going to fight for my life but I don't know how." Al paused, and looked back at the broken window. "I want to find out why these people want me dead, and what I can do to stop it. This looked like a mob crime...so I'm here."

That had to have been one of the smartest things Nathan had ever seen Al doing. It was hard to remember how smart he actually was when he was acting like a tool every day in class. Nathan sighed and went back over to the younger boy, and sat down beside him.

"Let me have a look at that book then."


	20. Chapter 20

"Shut up. That's not real."

"It is so. Oz, I can feel it. I know it. I was alive before. I was someone else before, and I came back! I'm not just Jay, I'm Jededia-"

The dark haired boy scowled at him, arms folded stubbornly in front of his chest. "You're Jay. You're Jay trying to make a fool out of me again. Reincarnation is not real and will never be real. So shut up. I regret coming here and talking to you now."

"But it's not!" Jay insisted, and grabbed onto Oz's arm. "It's real! I know it is! I'm someone else....I could be more than just Jay and Jed too! There's other memories trying to surface and...and I just feel so...so right! Like everything finally makes sense! Oh boy, it's a great feeling!"

Oz groaned loudly and stood up from the chair beside Jay's cot. "You are a liar. That's what you are." He told the blond. "You lie about everything! To everyone even yourself!"

"I'm not lying now!" Jay insisted, forced himself out of the cot. "I ain't lying! This is real!"

Oz rolled his eyes and forced the other boy to let go of his arm. Whatever joke Jay had planned, it wasn't going to work this time. He wouldn't allow him to pull a fast tons again. It had been hours since he had come in to speak with his roommate, time always managed to get away from them both when they started arguing, and he was growing hungry. The cafeteria would still be open, though most of the other students would have eaten already. He could hear Jay scrambling to get up and follow him, and frankly he didn't care. Jay hadn't eaten all day either, and regardless of whatever lies were spilling from his mouth, the guy needed to.

"Oz, I-" Jay was still trying to catch up with him.

"I really don't get you, you know?" Oz told him without looking back. "First you seem alright, then you run around with your football buddies acting like a moron, then you pull that stunt you did last night-"

"I wasn't Jay then, I was Jedediah-"

"You can't be more person than once!" Oz insisted. "It's impossible!"

Jay stopped, and thought for a moment, before saying, "You have the nightmares too. Everyone has them!"

"A sleep condition-"

"But does anyone else talk in their sleep?" Jay asked, and Oz skid to a halt. "I hear you talking to yourself all the time at night, Jay. I never thought anything of it before now but...you start saying things that don't feel right. Start spouting gibberish about some guitar and concert in London, or about a place I never even heard of!"

"Dreams-"

"They sound real!" Jay insisted, "They're real to you when you're asleep! You believe what you're saying then and I think it's connected."

Oz waved him off and started walking again. "You are loosing your mind." He told Jay, but slowed down long enough for him to catch up. "Nothing you're saying is real."

A loud bell sounded, alerting the school to an announcement coming over the PA. Both Jay and Oz stopped again to listen.

"Attention students," It was the Dean. He was always the only one to make these announcements and only for emergencies. Otherwise word of mouth would carry school news. "The assembly will be starting an hour early in the gymnasium. Please begin making your way down now."

"Assembly?" Jay asked, and turned to his roommate. "What assembly?"

"Dunno. Can't be too important if we haven't heard about it though." Oz said with a shrug. "Probably just for the band or something."

Jay nodded, "Makes sense. It's a weird time of night for that kinda thing...maybe it's a concert or something?"

Oz was about to explain to Jay the problems with the theory that it was some kind of impromptu concert when he felt sick. He stopped, and leaned against the nearest wall, trying to catch his breath. He never had this feeling of nausea before but it felt eerily familiar. Jay placed his hand on his back, and asked if he was going to throw up. Oz looked down at his hands, and noticed how pale they had gotten. Like the color had drained from him.

"I'll be alright." He said, but didn't straighten up or make any attempt to. "Just give me a moment."

"...Hey Oz, I just thought of something..."

"Oh? Well that's a new thing for you. We should celebrate."

Jay scowled at him, "Even sick you're annoying." He mumbled, before returning to his point. "That J guy, and the attempts on our lives...what if they're connected?"

"What?!"

"What if someone doesn't want us to know who we really are..."

"So they kill us?" Oz asked with a laugh. "A bit extreme, is it not?"

"People do stupid stuff when they're scared."

"But scared of what Jay? Us? We're a couple of kids who can barely pay attention in Chemistry class. What would cause them to fear us?"

That was a good point. Jay couldn't remember anything about his former life that would be cause for alarm, except being murdered. But Jedediah Smith had been a great man and he-...wait a minute...that was it! "What if...they're not scared of who we are but of what we can do."

The power to lead, the power to fight, the power to stand up against the wrongs of the times, the power to do what they believed in even if it killed them. That was deadly in the wrong hands.

Oz looked up at him, and this time it was not in disgust or ridicule. He understood now. That didn't mean he believed, but it was an improvement. He also was beginning to think his sickness happening tonight wasn't just a coincidence.

He forced himself to stand up, "We need to make contact with Mr. Daley and J and-"

All the lights in the entire building began to flicker, and all at once in a furious wave, they blew out, leaving Oz and Jay stranded in the dark.

* * *

Mr. Daley's class sat together near the back of the gym behind their peers. Lance was the last one in, and the doors clicked and locked shut behind him. Something he found quite odd, but when he tried to make a point of it to Kames, he was told to shut up.

Dean Zelders stood at a podium at the front of the gym, behind him was a row of members of the staff, all dressed in black. Zelders smiled out at the crowd, then looked up at the ceiling of the gym. It was glass, and allowed the rising moon to shine down upon them. He ordered the crowd to be silent, and began to speak.

"Dear students of Academia, it has been a long and tiring journey for us all. But rest assured, it all be over soon." He grinned, but it was no longer charming nor cheerful. It was sinister, wicked, and ominous. A wave of murmurs spread throughout the crowd. "Nearly two thousand years ago, the greatest man to ever cross the planet uncovered a way to control the forces of the dead using the power of the moonlight. Unfortunately, before he could prevail he was assassinated by a spy for his brother. Tonight, on the anniversary of his death, we shall harness the power that he tried to wield, and honor him as the god we so unrightfully deserve! All hail Kahmunrah, son of Annubis, and master of death!"

"I think Dean Zelders has lost his mind!" Sally whispered to Amy but the Dean was not done yet.

"In order to unlock his powers, 52 sacrifices must be made before midnight! But not just any sacrifices, no, they must be the souls of those whose lives and souls have been reborn because of the good harnessed in the tablet of Ahkmenrah the traitor! The souls must be reincarnate! So sit back, shut your eyes, embrace our dark King, and it will all be over soon!"

The staff surrounding Dean Zelders moved forward, and produced riffles out from behind their backs. Someone screamed, the lights in the gym went out, and then opened fire


	21. Chapter 21

Kames fell backwards off the bleachers. He'd been sitting at the top and as soon as the guns started going off he pushed himself back. A few others did the same judging from all of the thuds around him. He scrambled back, crawled under the bleachers and felt around his pockets for his phone. Aker, where was Aker?! He hadn't seen him and he had no idea where he could have gone but he had to know. He dialed his brother's cell number and waited as shots and screams continued to ring out.

"Hello?"

"Aker!" Wherever his brother was, it was calm. There was no noise in the background whatsoever which meant he wasn't here. "Stay wherever you are! Whatever you do don't come back to school!"

"Kames! What the hell!? Is...is that a gun?! Dude what's going on!?"

"Just-" a bullet broke through the wood by his head and whizzed past his face. He let out a terrified scream, that he wasn't proud to admit was fairly high pitched, and his tears built up in his eyes. "I-if I Forbes get out of here I want you tell...mom and dad that I'm so sorry and th-that I love them. I love you too." He hung up before Aker could reply and crawled away from the broken wooden board. He had to find a way out of here.

"Kames!"

He never thought he would be so happy to see Lance. He jumped down from the back of the bleachers and hurried to him. "Are you hurt-"

Kames through his arms around Lance and buried his face in his shoulder. "I don't understand! I just...I want to go home! I want to go home now!"

This was the first time Kames hadn't openly rejected his presence so Lance was understandably confused about how to approach this situation. It took him a moment to think of a plan of action.

"Listen alright? I'm going to do everything I can to get you out of here but we need to find the others first. Amy and Oz, your brother, everyone. Until then I need you to stay calm for me, can you do that?"

Kames nodded slowly, and rubbed at his eyes. The others were still in the bleachers or they could have fallen off like him...it didn't matter. They just had to find them.

The lights went back on and he felt a weight cars into his back, and pull both him and Lance to the floor. He looked back over his shoulder and saw that it was Alister and Nathan dragging them down. Alister had blood dripping from his shoulder, straining his shirt, but didn't seem to be in intense pain. Nathan didn't appear to be shot but his shirt was stained with blood. They forced Kames and Lance to the floor.

"Stay down," Nathan whispered, "Pretend to be dead."

Alister dabbed his fingers into his shoulder wound, and his face twisted in pain. He pulled them away, fresh with blood, and smeared it onto Kames' back to make a fake wound. He then did the same with Lance.

"You're shot..." Kames whispered, "They actually shot you..."

"Yeah but I'm not dead. Not yet." Alister said, "A little flesh wound never hurt anybody."

Kames would have happily spent the next three hours arguing with his friend that he could die from a gunshot wound regardless of where it was located on his anatomy but he heard voices and found himself unable to speak.

"How many dead?"

"Hard to say right now. What are your orders sir?"

"Take the dead to the boiler room and remove the bodies. As for the living and the injured, bring them to the basement. They will be used to complete the ritual."

"Sir how do you know there's 52 of them?"

"There simply will be, and if necessary, a couple of the teaching staff will have to take one for the team."

The four heard the doors to the gym click open and the sound of footsteps as the teachers left with the Dean to start preparing for whatever sick and twisted thing they had in store. Lance dared to peak up, and check to see how many where still left in the gym with them.

"The guy who taught me math last year is guarding the door," he whispered. "I could probably take him."

"Does have a gun?" Nathan asked.

"Yes."

"Then no you cannot take him."

Kames say up and brushed some dirt and flakes of dried blood off his shirt. "I think we should stick with your first plan. We find the others, and then try and get out of here."

"Sally and Amy are with Teddy up in the bleachers. They got hit pretty bad, I think Teddy may have actually gotten it in the chest and I know that Amy at least has a flesh wound...the bullet didn't enter her arm but it cut it up pretty good." Alister explained. "Ian and Alvin I saw move over to the side of the bleachers earlier and I have no idea where Oz or Jay or Aker are."

Lance looked up at the top of the bleachers and started to climb up the metal frame where he would not be spotted, "I'll get Amy, Sally and Teddy. Wait there. We may need some help getting him down."

* * *

When the lights went out the only thing Sally could remember clearly was Teddy pushing her behind him, and the pain filled scream he let out when the bullets entered his best. She started crying, and cradled his head while waiting for the chaos to end, but now that she could see him, see the damage in the light, she wished she was in the dark again. Blood was surging from his chest, and his eyes were wild with pain. His hands were turning white as he held her shoulder, and waited for either death or salvation. Whichever came first.

Her first instinct had been to try and stop the bleeding. She had ripped apart her vest and fashioned one as best as she could, and it seemed to have worked. The blood wasn't spurting out anymore but she knew it was still dangerous. A bullet could have hit a lung, and if untreated Teddy would definitely bleed out or get an infection.

The bullets were meant for her, but he was noble and stupid enough to have gotten in the way.

Amy was a couple rungs down from them tending to her arm while trying to play possum. She was laying on her back, and moving only when she knew the guard's eyes weren't on her. She hadn't said anything to them yet, but she was waiting for the right moment. Someone near the bottom started to move, and made a break for the exit. The guard turned their attention on this poor soul, and Amy was able to scramble up to her roommate.

"Have you seen Oz or Kames anywhere?" She asked, "Without me they'll do something stupid..."

"I don't know. I don't know where anyone else is. I don't even know if anyone outside the school heard the gunshots..." Sally didn't have her phone. Teddy didn't either. There was no way for her to call for help, or call her parents. They were cut off...

* * *

Aker shoved his phone into his pocket and ran into the living room where J and Mr. Daley were trying to piece together why Mr. Daley had been on the list of possible students for the class of 1987. He could feel beads of sweat rolling down his face as panic began to settle in. What was his brother doing? Could there have been another attempt on the class? Kames never told anyone that he loved them before....

"Mr. Daley! J! We have to go back to the school! I just got off the phone with my brother and he sounded really scared and I thought I heard a gun go off and I...I...I..." Aker had never been more terrified in his life. "I can't loose my brother! Come on we have to go!"

 


	22. Chapter 22

"I have an idea."

All eyes turned to Alister, who produced something small, rectangular and silver from his pants pocket. A small pocket knife, one that he'd had ever since Boy Scouts.

"I'm going to go kill that guard. Then you guys get everyone out of here. Then I'll follow."

Nathan smacked the back of his friend's head. "You aren't killing that guy! What the hell's the matter with you?!"

"It's self defense Nippy, didn't you hear principal crazy? They're going to sacrifice 52 of us to some Annubis guy!" Alister hissed back, "We have no choice! It's kill or be killed!"

Lance, who had taken over as leader of their little group, risked a peak around the bleachers to see where the guard was. He was pacing in front of the door, gun at his side. If they could just distract him or incapacitate him long enough, they could get the others down and run for help. But how?

"Nip, I'm not saying we have to feel good about it. I'm saying we have to do what's best for survival! We're all going to die if we don't get out of here now!" Alister insisted, "We have no other choice."

Lance knew what had to be done. He turned back to the group, and rubbed some sweat off his brow before saying, "He's right Nathan. We have to remove the guard and there's...there's just no other way. But Al isn't doing it. He's hurt." He took the pocket knife right out of the other boy's hand. "I'll do it. I can...can take him."

Kames hadn't been paying much attention to the conversation before then. He had been lost in his own mind, worried about his brother, his friends, his parents, he had zoned out. Hearing Lance declare that he was going to kill their former math teacher snapped him right out of it.

"You moron!" He snapped, and snatched the small knife from Lance. "No one's killing anyone! We aren't sinking to their level!"

This argument was never going to end with the knife still available for use, so Kames decided to get rid of it. He threw the little device across the room, and as he and the other three watched, the blade came loose and successfully severed a hanging light above the guard's head. He barely had time to look before the fixture knocked him to the ground. The man groaned, and twitched for a few minutes, before going still.

"...That's not how you kill someone with a knife, Kames." Alister stated with mild amusement. "But you still get an A for thinking outside the box."

"I didn't kill him!" Kames shouted. "...D-Did...D-did I...?"

"Doubt it. Guy probably just has a concussion. He'll live." Lance said with a shrug. "Not that he deserves to. We should get moving. Come on, follow me around and we'll help the others come down the bleachers."

* * *

It took them a while to get Teddy down. They had to be careful moving him, not wanting to cause the poor boy any more pain, or move the bandaging that Sally had done because it was all they could provide at the moment, and he was still slipping in and out of consciousness. Amy and Sally hopped down a couple minutes later, and without threat of the guard Alvin and Ian are able to cross the gym floor.

"We have to get out of here before the come back to collect the injured," Ian said, and allowed both Amy and Alister to lean on him for support. Blood loss was beginning to set in. People were getting nauseous and dizzy. "We must stick together and find someway out."

"There's a fire escape out the library." Nathan suggested. "Out the librarian's office. She would be running around with the Dean so we could get out that way."

They knew most of the conventional exits would locked so this seemed like their best option.

"It's worth a shot." Amy said with a shrug, of which she immediately regretted because she started to slip off Ian's shoulder and he had to help her back on. That and the pain was immense. They started creeping towards the exit, moving closely together for both actual security measures and to sooth their own nerves.

Alvin, seeing the severeness of Teddy's injuries and knowing he'd never be able to walk on his own in this condition, scooped him up bridal style. There was no way he was going to allow any of his friends to be left behind to be sacrificed. Even if he had to carry them out of that gym, one by one. Sally smiled at him, knelt up and pecked his cheek. "Thank you."

"It's nothing." The boy replied, and lowered his head in hopes she wouldn't see him blush.

Sally's eyes lit up in amusement. "You spoke English this entire time?"

"Don't tell Jay or Lance or the others. I enjoy watching them try to figure out what I'm saying."

Sally laughed, something she had never imagined she could ever do in this situation, and held the door open for Alvin and Teddy.

* * *

"This is dangerous!" Larry shouted, in hopes of deterring J from pressing on.

"I know!" The other man replied.

"We could die!"

"I know!"

"This is insane!"

"I know!"

Aker, who was fearing for his life in the backseat of Mr. Daley's car, hugged the back of the seat in front of him and screamed, "FOR RA'S SAKE JUST LET MR DALEY DRIVE! YOU DRIVE LIKE YOU'RE AT TALADEGIA!"

J had taken Larry's keys and demanded that he drive as soon as he heard there was an issue at the school. Larry's decision to let him drive was one he immediately regretted as J pulled into traffic. He was more fearful for his life now, he wasn't sure how he would stack up when he actually arrived back at the school.

Regardless of J's incompetent driving skills, he managed to get them back to Academia with only a couple minor scratches and dents on the car. All of which, the man claimed, would be taken care of by his employers. Larry wasn't quite sure he believed him. After all, J's employers were connected with the school right? He could have known about this little fiasco in advance, and had been placed on the scene as a distraction. Anything was possible when it came to that fucking tablet! One thing was for sure though, tonight any and all questions Larry had about that thing we're going to be answered. Now whether he liked what he heard or not was a completely different story...

"Aker!" J said, easily taking control of the situation. "Wait here in the car! I'm not sure what's going on but they're definitely going to try and take you out! Wait here, with the doors locked, keep low, and if necessary, call the police for back up. Now, only do that if an hour passes and you haven't heard from Mr. Daley or myself. Do you understand?!"

The boy nodded, unbuckled himself, and slid in between the seats to hide.

"That's a good boy!" J announced with a grin, and patted Aker's back. "Now, Larry, you and me are going to run in there and get the kids out! I have some gear in my backpack we can use, tranq stuff, won't kill these guys but that's okay. We just need to get the kids out and then get my employers in to handle them. You okay with that?!"

"No!" This was the stupidest thing Larry had ever done, running into a school full of insane teachers with guns and god knows what else with no one besides a guy who used to be a famous figure in world history, and he had broken into the smithsonian institution! "Who are your employers! How do you know this will work?!"

J's answer was short and sweet.

"I don't."

"What?!"

"I don't know if this will work. I don't know if any of us will make it out alive. But what I do know is that my son's in there, and I promised him centuries ago that I wouldn't let anything bad happen to him as long as I lived. Well, I'm living again so I better keep that promise, shouldn't I?!"

Larry didn't say anything. He opened the he door to his car, got out, and started walking towards the school. J opened his door and ran to catch up with him. He pulled a small but loaded tranquilizer gun out from his backpack and handed it to Larry.

"You have years of experience with a flashlight, now let's see how well you work with this!" J grinned wildly. "You go take the East wing of the school, I'll handle the West, and we can meet up in the middle!"

That was fine with Larry. As far as being a night guard went, he worked better when he was the only living human.

__

* * *

Dean Zelders cracked his knuckles and sat down on the cold, stone floor. The basement air was thick with moisture, and smelled of mold, but it would be a proper enough place to harness Kahmunrah's army. He closed his eyes, and imagined fields turning dark and burning until there was nothing but ash. Some members of his teaching staff moved along, opening some windows and letting the moonlight pour in. All had to be prefect for when the blood sacrifices began.

Without opening his eyes, Zelders snapped his fingers and ordered a few of his staff to his side.

"Start bringing them down," he ordered, though his voice was soft, almost heavenly. "And remove the guns. Too much of a risk now. We need as many as we can. Get the knives, and get to work."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to say thank you to all of the lovely readers who have offered to help me with translations! I appreciate the gesture, but given the way the story is going, I'm not sure if there will be time for more Italian. Perhaps if I decide to do a sequel...
> 
> But we'll just have to see! Thanks anyway guys! I'm so excited, the next part is one I have been waiting to write since this story started!


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This whole story spun out from this scene. I knew I wanted to write this, and the rest sorta evolved from there. It was so much fun to write this!
> 
> WARNING: Mild violence and character death.

Jay was beyond confused. Nothing was making sense to him anymore and he felt like he was loosing his mind. First having two sets of memories in his head was messing him up, then trying to process what was happening at the school, and now it sounded like Academia had become a war zone. Jedediah had sprung into action as soon as he heard the gun shots. He pushed Oz into a side hallway, and told him to be quiet, and they waited there until the shots stopped. Then, Jay came back again. But Jay was little help to an Oz who was panicking. Naturally, he wanted to distance himself from where they had heard the shots, and started running down the halls, looking for somewhere to hide, and call for help. Jay couldn't let him go off on his own, so he ran after him.

"It has to be connected to me being two people!" He called after him, but tried to keep his voice low and avoid being heard by unwanted listeners. "Oz you have to believe me now...-"

Oz skidded to a halt, spun around and grabbed Jay by the shoulders. "You're insane!" He snarled. "Our friends could be dead and you're still running on about being a cowboy?! There is something seriously wrong with your tiny little brain!"

"Why don't you believe-"

He froze. There were footsteps coming down the hall. Someone was coming their way. Both boys froze in fear, unable to move or even scream. Jay did manage to note that Oz's grip around his shirt collar tightened but he would think about that later.

J came around the corner, a small gun in his hands, though Jedediah was angrily growling inside Jay's head that it wasn't any pistol he'd seen in his life time, and therefore it was not good. The man also froze when he saw the boys, and soon a grin spread across his face.

"Octavius..."

"What?" Jay and Oz both asked, and it was only about them that Oz realized he was still holding onto the other boy and let him go.

"I thought you said you were a cowboy..." Oz growled at him. "Or is this another identity of yours?"

"I am," Jay replied. He was fairly certain he had been a cowboy. His memories were fairly similar to that of one. But he wasn't the only one at this damn school with nightmares that seemed real, and days where he couldn't even get out of bed due to unknown illness. Everyone here was. Including Oz. "...You're not talking about me, are you J?"

The man looked between them both, and considered saying something but thought better of it. He would have time to explain everything once they were outside. "I'm going to need you both to follow me," he instructed. "Larry is getting the rest of your class but it isn't safe out here right now. We all have to leave."

Something down the hall Oz and Jay had up fell, and shattered and the three of them ended up bolting down the way J had come. They stopped to catch their breath when they got to a set of stairs leading to the second floor, and Jay leaned against the banister.

"Why are these people trying to kill us?!" Oz asked J. "How could they get into the school?! What could they possibly have to gain from killing a bunch of insignificant teenagers!"

Jay had never seen Oz so panicked before. Then again, he'd never seen Oz so defenseless before. This had been the only safe place the students in Larry's class had and it was gone now. If they weren't safe here, they weren't safe anywhere.

"It has something to do with-"

"If you say it has something to do with you being Jedediah Smith, you won't have to worry about those people killing you because I'll do it myself!" Oz snapped. "You have no idea when to stop do you?! You are not-"

J dared to look back down the hall they had come up, and saw shadows heading their way. They had no time to loose. He patted his backpack, feeling for the extra tranq gun he had stashed there, and then grabbed both J and Oz's arms, pulling them down another hallway. This school was too big, at this rate he was never going to find Larry or the exit.

"He is, but we don't have time to argue about this." He told them both. "Keep moving. Scary people with weapons and intent to kill behind us."

Oz yanked his arm free from J, and scowled at them both. "You've got to be kidding me!" He hissed. "You put him up to this Jay?! I don't believe you...!"

"I didn't!" Jay exclaimed, "I'm not lying to you Oz-"

"Sure you aren't! How am I supposed to know this all isn't some huge prank by the football team to try and humiliate me again?! I can't believe this-"

"Oz," J said slowly, eyes fixed behind the boy at the corridors behind them, searching for growing shadows. "Jay is right. He is a reincarnation of Jedediah Smith. Everyone at this school is reincarnate. You're reincarnate, I'm reincarnate-"

"You're a moron!" Oz screamed, no longer concerned for volume. The threat was no longer real for him, which, given the circumstances, could have fatal consequences. "And I'm a moron for ever listening to you both! Well, screw you both! I'm going to bed!"

The dorms weren't that far of a walk from here. He turned left down yet another corridor, leaving both Jay and J rushing to keep up with him and spare him a certain death. J managed to get ahead of the boy, and grabbed him by his shoulders, keeping him in place.

"Listen to me," he told the boy. "I'm not lying to you. Why would I? What do I have to gain?"

Nothing except some sick thrill from when Oz was humiliated, was not what the fourteen year old said. He remained quiet, listening to what J had to offer. He was slightly curious to see how idiotic J and Jay's ideas were.

"In a past life you were a Roman Emperor, you were known by many names. Augustus, Octavian, Octavius, but you were the same man. You lead the Roman Empire to great new heights following the death of..." He stopped for a moment, the words getting caught in his throat. "...Of your great uncle and adoptive father Julius Caesar. You were a great leader, a great intellectual, a great person in general. Your death was controversial. You were either killed by some sudden illness or poisoned by your wife. It was horrible, it was painful, and though it came on quickly, it wasn't quick. And now, you, like me and J and everyone else in attendance at Academia, you're back."

Oz felt his mouth go dry, and he was unable to say anything for a few moments. Being poisoned by his wife...that sounded a lot like the nightmares he was having whenever he was sick...

"So let me get this straight," He finally spoke again, but still struggled to keep his words straight and his voice even. "I'm really a Roman emperor but not just any emperor, possibly the greatest Roman emperor after Caesar himself, and if while we're talking about Caesar, it should be mentioned that he also happens to be my biological great uncle and adoptive father?"

"Yes."

Oz snorted, "Yeah right. That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard." He pushed the other man's hands off of him, having had enough with this entire nonsense they both kept spouting on and on about. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of hoodie, and glared at Jay and J. "You both are morons. Stop fucking lying to me!"

Jay sighed and rubbed his forehead. "We're not lying-"

"Yes you are! Now if you ever want to tell me the truth, I'll be in our room." He turned his back on them both and started walking back down the hall towards the dorms. This would all be over as soon as the word got out that he wasn't buying whatever cruel prank the football team had set up.

Jay groaned, rubbing continuous circles on his forehead. "He's going to get killed..."

"I know," J replied, watching the boy go. "They won't be in the dorms yet though. The teachers are most likely either in the gym or the basement so it should be okay for him for now. We can always go back for him later..." Though the idea wasn't tempting. Oz by himself right now was an unpleasant thought. At least he was in hockey, and therefore knew how to use a stick to defend himself.

"We should keep moving." J told the younger male, turning back and heading towards the hall they had come out of. "Find Larry and-UGH!"

A teacher lurched out from the hall and rammed a long, curved, blade into J's back. The man screamed out in pain, and pushed Jay back away from him. The fourteen year old fell back onto his ass, and squirmed back a bit in fear. The teacher pulled the blade from J's back and brought it down again, and again. Jay felt his stomach turning, and turned to scream for Oz to run. Oz wasn't running though. He stood at the end of the hall, completely frozen and watching J being stabbed repeatedly. Blood was spraying everywhere, J was screaming and trying to push the teacher off of him, and Jay was unable to think or even move.

Oz's eyes flashed an unfamiliar gold, and his face twisted up in anger. He screamed, but it wasn't out of fear. It was almost like a battle cry. He surged forward and tackled the teacher to the floor, sending the blade flying across the hall. The teacher was screaming, squirming, but Oz had her pinned down, and was slugging her hard in the ribs. The cracking of the bones could be heard, even with all the screaming. Jay was unsure of how to approach the situation or if he should even get involved.

The teacher was spewing insults throughout her pain at the three of them, of Jay being a coward, of J being weak and of Oz being a psychopath. She wasn't talking to Oz though, this was someone else. This was someone who had taken countless lives in battle and wouldn't blink an eye at taking another. He grabbed her by her neck and slammed her head repeatedly against the floor until she went limp beneath him and blood slowly poured from her ears and forehead.

"Oh my god did you-" killing a teacher would definitely mean that Oz would be suspended. Oz ignored Jay though, and went over to J's side. The agent was still clinging to life, but just barely. Oz knelt down beside him and cradled J's head.

"...Oct-...Octavius...?" The man asked.

"Yes, Yes, father its me..."

J smiled and weakly reached up to stroke his son's cheek. "I...I kept my promise...I saw...I saw you again..."

"Yes you did. And you'll continue to see me because you're not going anywhere. You are not leaving me like this again!"

J laughed bitterly. "...I...I should have known...with me around you can't...can't be as independent...you'll rely on me..."

"Father...-"

"..The mo-...moment Octavius became great to the world...was when Julius Caesar was no longer in it...."

"Father!"

"Octavius," J said before coughing, spitting up blood in the process. "...Show the wo-world th-that you're As great as...as I know you are...."

"Father I-" Oz tried to say but there was no response from J. He had gone limp in Oz's arms, and slowly the rhythmic pattern of his breathing slowed down and stopped. Oz slowly laid his father's head down beside him, and remained kneeling beside his body, tears building in his eyes.

Jay was at a loss for words. For the first time in weeks he wasn't thinking about the people trying to kill him, or what was wrong with himself, he was thinking about Oz and what he could do to try and make his pain stop. He stood up slowly, and approached the other boy. Oz did nothing. He remained completely still. It was as if the outside world had completely stopped for him, and he was trapped in that one horrible moment. Jay placed his hand gently down upon Oz's shoulder, and gave it a light squeeze. Jay didn't know how else he could tell Oz that he was still there. That he wasn't alone right now. Oz turned slowly, and looked up at him with eyes that flashed between Oz's normal rich brown and a furious gold. Oz shook his head, and his eyes turned brown and stayed that way.

"Jay..." He said softly.

"Oz..." Jay really hoped this was Oz. From what he had just witnessed Romans were insane...

"Jay," Oz said again breathlessly, and slowly rose to his feet, Jay's hand remaining upon his shoulder. "...Jay I...I believe you....I'm sorry that I didn't before but..." He looked down at J, and the tears began building in his eyes again. "If I had just listened to you both, he might have-"

Oz broke down, collapsed to the floor, sobbing into his own hands. There was a part of him, a very big part, screaming out in agony for the death of his father while another part said and did nothing. He felt like his mind was being torn apart. Jay dropped to the floor beside him, and wrapped his arms around Oz. It was going to be a long night.

 


	24. Chapter 24

Larry thought he heard screaming coming somewhere in the distance but hoped it was jut his imagination and pressed on. He liked to think that he knew his students, both given the time spent in the classroom and the time spent in the museum. He liked to think that he knew where they would go in this situation and the library seemed like the best answer. There was another exit through there, and it would provide the most hiding places if need be. He pushed open the door slowly to avoid making much noise and crept inside.

The lights were off and he could barely make out the outline of the desks, and the shelves, but Larry could hear shuffling. He found the nearest light switch and clicked it on. "Guys?" He whispered and hoped whoever was here could hear him.

"Mr. Daley?" A voice came out from behind the Librarian's desk. A second later, Lance stood up, followed by list of the others. They were all stained with blood, and looked exhausted. Lance breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god its you...you had us scared there."

Larry looked over the counter and dos a headcount. Everyone was there except for Aker, Oz and Jay. Figures. Even as teenagers those two were always splitting off on their own, getting into trouble. He got to Teddy, barely clinging to life, and had to quickly look away to avoid throwing up. "What happened?" He asked, though he already knew the answer.

"They just opened fire on us!" Sally exclaimed, then realized she still had to be quiet and lowered her voice. "We were just sitting there waiting and they shot at us!"

"They kept talking about this Kahmunrah guy." Al added. "In the glory of Kahmunrah and all that bull."

"...Kames killed a guy." Ian piped up.

"I did not! I just...knocked him out! I did not kill anyone!" Kames insisted, knowing he was never going to live this down.

Larry chose to ignore those last two remarks. "Alright, alright! Listen Aker is waiting outside. We're going to get you guys out of here, and then I'm going to come back in and look for Jay, J and Oz. After that we're going to drive straight to the hospital, and get the authorities in here to try and-"

"They won't do much good."

The group turned their attention to librarian's office. The back door, the one that opened out onto the fire escape, was open and a tall man in heavy coat stood there. Kames, Sally and Alvin recognized him almost immediately and scurried back, trying to put as much distance between them and the man as possible. Larry also recognized him, and raised the tranquilizer gun that J had given him. It wasn't lethal, but then again they weren't trying to stoop to their level.

"You're the man from the club." He stated. "You tried to kill a couple of my students."

The man nodded. "That I did." He made no attempt to move forward, to even act aggressive. He just stood there, watching them all and waiting. When Larry didn't shoot at him, the man took it as his chance to try and set the record straight. "It was my job. It had been my job for the past thirty five years."

"What?" Larry asked, face twisting up in a confused scowl. "What do you mean?!"

"I was hired by a branch of a historical society that exists within the governments of the world. It has existed as far back as ancient Egypt, a society of assassins, waiting to protect the world at a moment's notice-"

"By killing teenagers and children!-"

"By preventing the end of days." The man corrected him. "By preventing the power of Ahkmenrah's tablet from being reversed and utilized."

That damn tablet. It was official, Larry hated that blasted thing. Next time he saw the real Ahkmenrah, assuming he got out of this alive, he was going to have a couple complaints for him.

"What...?" Amy asked. "You mean we've been hunted like dogs...because of some ancient artifact?"

The man nodded again. "The tablet was created to restore and give life. How or why it chose to give rise to some people no one will ever understand, but it remained a symbol of light. Until Kahmunrah tried to use it. He wanted to create an army of soldiers of the underworld, of zombies, and prepared a sacrifice to do such. He killed his own brother, Ahkmenrah, as part of this but was shortly after killed by one of his guards before the guard was murdered himself. Followers of Kahmunrah, descendants of those present at the time of his death, have been trying to finish his mission for the past centuries. Dean Zelders, for one."

"The sacrifice was always necessary but as time passed, it became such that the only ones deemed worthy of sacrificing were those who the tablet bestowed power to. Those it chose to reincarnate. And so the society I spoke of, a society which started with the death of Ahkmenrah, tried to prevent that." He sighed, knowing there could have been a better way, given how their plans had played out now. "How can you preform a sacrifice when those you are offering are already dead?"

They killed them, to prevent the evils of Kahmunrah from rising.

Larry looked between the man and his students, and then aimed pulled the trigger. A tranq dart became lodged in the man's throat and he fell backwards onto the fire escape. He twitched for a moment, then stopped.

"I'm getting sick and tired of people telling me stories like that." Larry stated. He didn't know if they could trust this man, especially since a few days ago he had been ready to kill any one of them."My head is beginning to hurt."

"If that's true than J...he would have been working for Zelders wouldn't have he?" Amy asked. "I mean supposing that guy's story was true. I don't normally trust strangers on fire escapes, but just to get the facts all in order-"

Al slammed his fists against the surface of the desk. "That motherfucker! He was backstabbing us!"

Though Larry couldn't (nor wanted to) believe the now unconscious stranger, he did have to consider all possibilities. But something still didn't fit right. "If he was I don't think he knew." He told the group. "He came to this case specifically looking for someone. I don't think he would have put them in danger, and he was reincarnate himself." And so was Larry, if the book he'd seen earlier was anything to go by. "Look, we should just find J and ask him ourselves."

The doors to the library swung open and Larry and his former class all ducked behind the counter. Larry peaked up slowly, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing who it was, and stood up again. "It's okay. It's just Jay and Oz."

This relief was short lived once Larry got a better look at the two. Jay was essentially pulling Oz along, his shirt stained with dried blood. Oz seemed dazed, his face was red from what looked like an uncomfortable mix of crying and blood. While Jay's was only confined to his shirt, Oz seemed to have been doused in it. Still wet blood dripped onto the floor from his hair.

Jay locked eyes with his former teacher, and a voice so monotone it was unnerving said, "Oz just killed someone."

"So did Kames!"

"I did not!"

"No," Jay said shaking his head. "Oz he...he went totally wild. Stabbed her, got blood everywhere, because J-..." He paused. "She killed J."

Something shifted in Larry's stomach and he felt all the oxygen being sucked out of the room. "J's dead?" Possible traitor or not, with J gone Larry was alone in this.

"Said some crazy Roman bullshit to Oz and died. Now Oz is acting like I did back at the club only he seems a bit more homo-"

"Jay!"

"-cidal. I was going to say homocidal."

Oz murmured something in Latin that neither Jay not Larry could translate.   
"I kill when necessary you blonde buffoon. Not by choice....though your blond hair certainly is lovely. Avoid the markets if you wish to keep it."

"Okay, okay, okay! So let me get this straight," Larry said, and started rubbing his forehead. His head was threatening to split open and Thai wasn't helping anything. "Oz killed someone. Brutally. With a knife. Now he's...relapsing like you did and has no clue where he even is, and our best shot of getting out of here alive is dead?!"

Jay shifted uncomfortably. "Well when you say it like that it sounds awful bad, kemosobe."

...

If Zelders didn't kill Jay tonight, Larry may have to.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Violence and minor character death.

The only somewhat logical plan Larry could come up with at this point was creeping over the man he's knocked unconscious and making a mad dash for his car. It would be a tight fit but anything would be better than waiting around here for them all today. He nudged the man with his foot to ensure that he was asleep, and signaled for the students to go first. Amy, Alvin, Georgie and Sally helped move Teddy along. He was breathing heavily now, fading in and out of consciousness, but still with them. So far. They helped him down the fire escape and kept him standing upright while they waited for the others. Next were Al, Nathan and Ian. Al, being an apartment dweller all his life, practically skipped down and laughed when he saw his friends struggling. Nathan got him back by pouring snow down his shirt when they got to the ground. Jay and Oz went after them. Jay started to climb and Oz just leapt over the side of the railing. Jay screamed at him, but fell silent when Oz grabbed onto the railing a couple floors down and parroted his way to the ground. He mumbled something about this new Oz being a show off and continued at his normal pace. Last were Lance and Kames. Lance bounded forward, happy to leave this place, but Kames lingered back. The English boy didn't eat the other following him, stopped and spun around, "What?"

"I don't know...I just..." Kames shook his head. "I don't feel good..."

"We'll get you to a clinic when we're out of here. Come on, let's go."

Kames kept shaking his head, turning his own gaze to the ground. "I don't feel good...I don't feel good..."

The lights in the hall outside the library flashed on. Even from back by the exit, Lance could make out the shadows of people headed this way. Kames just stood there, shaking and mumbling.

"Kames!" He called over to him again. "We have to go! We have to go now!"

"Don't...feel good...-"

The library doors creaked open. Lance could see two teachers come in and crane their heads around, looking for anyone who may have gotten away. It would only be a matter of seconds before they found Kames.

"Don't...-"

Larry knew what Lance was thinking and it couldn't lead anywhere good. He reached slowly to try and pull the boy back. He'd worry about Kames once he got Lance back in line.

Lance darted forward, wound his arms around Kames' waist and pulled him back to the exit. The teachers ran towards them, screaming, and trying to pry Lance off the other. He wouldn't let go. He kept himself wrapped tightly around Kames, refusing to let him be taken alone. Larry raised his tranq gun, and the two locked eyes. He watched as Lance's changed from a murky blue to bright gold and then back again. He lowered the gun.

The next minute was a foggy haze of screaming and blood. Lance jolted upright, elbowing his former calculus teacher in the face and taking great merriment out of it. He kicked the other in the groin knocking him to the ground. Kames was doubled over, murmuring things in an unfamiliar language. It was hard to tell if he had any idea what was going on or if he had slipped away into some unforeseen effect of the tablet's magic.

"Mr Daley!" Georgie screamed from the ground. "Mr Daley! We have a-"

Kames jumped to his feet, his eyes glowing a fluorescent green. He looked at Lance, at his savior, then at his teacher, and in a thick, deep, husky voice that was most definitely not his own, said, "Your efforts are useless. All will die here tonight!"

He turned to the exit and sprinted out into the hall and out of sight.

Lance screamed. Not out of pain or anguish, but a very brutal battle cry. He stomped down on the neck of the male teacher repeatedly until he heard a loud snap and drool spilled from his mouth, and then turned his attention on the female. He grabbed her by the back of the shirt as she turned to flee, and threw her into the nearest bookshelf.

"Thoust hast committed an unthinkable crime and shall serve due pence." He snapped. "Enjoy your time in the dank Pitts of the underworld!"

Of great, Larry thought, they got Lancelot.

"You there!"

"Yeah?" Larry asked. Aside from his...obvious faults Lancelot wasn't a bad guy to have in a fight. This could work in their favor so long as they didn't split up.

"You take the others out of here, I will pursue the royal."

He ran out the library doors before Larry could say anything so he said something to himself.

"Fucking Lancelot..."

Of course he couldn't just leave Lancelot and Kames to deal with Zelders and his minions alone! He had to go after them! But, and it pained him to admit it, Lancelot made a good point. Larry rushed back to the fire escape and looked down at the kids that had gathered there.

"Get to the police station!" He called to them, "My car's out front! Aker's there! Grab him and get out of here!"

He wanted to call Nicky, to call Erica, to call his own parents, he'll he wanted to call McGee, and apologize for every wrong he'd ever committed and tell them all how much he loved them. Well maybe not McGee. McGee would be getting a giant FUCK YOU yelled into his ear. The point was he hated going out like this. His son didn't know what was going on, his friends wouldn't know what happened...he was looking death in the face and he didn't know if he'd make it to sunrise. He wanted to say goodbye to his loved ones. He wanted to see the sun rise one more time. He wanted to go back to the museum, to see his old friends, but he couldn't. Right now he had to get to those kids and made sure they would be safe.

He spun around and went running out of the library after the former knight and Kames.

Outside, the reminder of his class made a mad dash to his car. They were a sorry bunch, soaked with blood, a few limping, others holding each other up, and poor Teddy being carried like a baby. Georgie got there first and yanked the driver's side door open. "Uh...guys?"

Amy got to the other side next, and opened both doors. She and Alvin were going to put Teddy in first, and then they'd all try and squeeze in. Al knew how to drive. So did Amy. They could make it-

"What?" She asked.

Georgie looked up at his friends over the roof of the car. "Aker isn't here..."


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was just checking through my old drafts and realized that this has been done for a while. I just forgot to post...sorry guys.
> 
> Anyway, this fic is almost complete! I just have two or three more chapters and then we can get to the ending I've been planning since this doc began!

The halls were dark, damp and cold. Aker shivered and adjusted his coat, then kept walking. Lights up ahead flashed and shattered, voices bounced off the narrow halls, slurring insults in both his native tongue as well as English. He felt sick, and a sudden lapse in control. The boy didn't want to be there, he wanted to go back to the car and get as far from this horrible place as he possibly could, but still his feet moved and brought him down here against his will. Something bad was going to happen, Aker couldn't shake that thought. A part of him believed he was going to die in that basement.

At the end of the hall and behind a pair of thick, heavy, double doors, Dean Zelders and a large portion of his teaching staff stood finishing preparations over a large, crudely painted seal. Aker's breath hitched and his hands began to tremble. This wasn't right. Nothing about this was right. This was some kind of evil...

The Dean glanced over at the door and waved his hand. The doors burst open and Aker found his hiding spot completely exposed. "Ah, if it is not the guest of honor," The Dean greeted. "Please step inside Aker. It'll all be over soon. We are just waiting for our other important party."

He was going to die here. Aker didn't know how to explain it but he just knew. There was no way he was going to get out of here in one piece. He spun around, tried to run back the way he'd came, but someone grabbed him and yanked him into the center of the room. He screamed, and thrashed, but it was no use. He was powerless against these people. All the while, his former Dean just smiled and watched.

There were rapid footsteps down the hall. Someone was running this way. Aker screamed for them to turn back, to get away before they were captured too, but his warnings fell on death ears. Seconds later, his brother came through the door, and he couldn't hold back his scream. "No! Not Kames too!" Their mother, their poor, saintly mother, she wouldn't be able to handle loosing both of her children!

Kames stopped in the doorway, and it was only then that Aker saw that there was something wrong with him. His brother's eyes, they were glowing. "What did you do to him?!" He snarled at his former teachers. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BROTHER?!"

"He's still your brother. Just from another time." Dean Zelders replied quite cooly. "It would take too long to wait for him to come of his own accord, so we just...sped up the process."

"What are you talking about?!" Aker demanded, and though he tried to keep his voice steady and firm, he could feel tears swelling in his eyes and pouring down his cheeks.

Kames moved from the doorway, until he was in front of Zelders and staring into his eyes. "Your work will be rewarded in time." He said, in a voice that was definitely not his own. Aker screamed again. What kind of monster had they made his brother into?!

To Aker's surprise, Zelders and the rest of his goons each kneeled before what was left of his older brother. Zelders was still grinning wildly. He had been waiting for this moment for a very long time. "Thank you, your grace. How shall we proceed from here?"

"Enough blood has been spilled in the halls...while it would have been ideal to happen directly on the seal, it will still work. So long as Ahkmenrah does there, we will still prevail. Carry on as planned."

What plan?! Who was Ahkmenrah?! Aker screamed and tried again to break free but no such luck.

"He will die," Dean Zelders agreed. "We should move now though. Before the others come to their senses."

Kames nodded in approval. "I look forward to hearing my army of the underworld pick and rip them apart." He snapped his fingers, "Bring him to the seal."

The person holding Aker in place began to move, and the boy started to panic. He screamed louder than he had before, he kicked at the person holding him, he cried and he begged for Kames to wake up and snap out of it, but nothing worked. He tried digging his heels into the ground, but was still forced into standing on the crudely painted seal, his captor still standing behind him and holding him in place.

"Kames!" Aker begged. "Please brother! Stop this!"

His brother could hear him, but did not look his way. Zelders handed him a blade, ancient and golden, with a jewel encrusted handle, and then took a step back. Kames admired the blade for a moment, let his fingers trace the jewels, then turned and approached his brother. Aker nearly choked on his own tears.

"KAMES!" He screamed. "KAMES IT'S ME! IT'S YOUR BROTHER! STOP IT PLEASE! KAMES PLEASE!"

Kames' reply chilled him to the bone. "Don't be so scared. It isn't like this is anything new for you."

His heart felt like it was going to erupt from his chest, it was beating so quickly. Aker looked towards the door, saw that no one was coming, and let out an ugly sob. It was just him, and the monster that had been born from his brother. He looked back at Kames, who took hold of his arm and held it out. He held the blade in his other hand, and brought it down along Aker's forearm, slicing a thin line. Blood sprang from his cut, and rolled down his arm.

"Just a little at first," The person who had snatched hold of his brother all but whispered. "A little to awaken the seal, then all to open it."

Aker panicked and tried kicking his brother, and whoever was still holding him in place. He was still screaming, still sobbing, but he was trying his damnedest to get free. He managed to land a blow to his brother's leg and Kames doubled over with a hiss. Dean Zelders flew to his side, and Aker used this opportunity to bite the arm of the person holding him. They screamed, and released the boy, who's first reaction was to clutch his bleeding arm and make a mad dash to the door.

"Get him you idiots!" Kames shouted, but Aker didn't dare to look back. He made it to the doors, just a couple more feet and he'd be free-!

They burst open just he got to the handles, and the teen stumbled back and onto the ground. He looked up, and there was Lance standing in the doorway. His clothes were stained with blood, and he had this deranged look in his eye. "Halt Evil-Doers!"

It was late. Aker was tired, scared, bleeding, and now just plain confused. "...What?"

Lance moved past him, and launched himself at the teacher who had been holding Aker. Their arm was still bleeding from where his teeth had broken through the skin. The English student knocked them to the ground, and smashed their head off the floor. Blood began to form in a pool around their head, and said teacher let out a low groan. Aker found some comfort in the fact that they were still even alive.

"You dare attack royalty in the presence of the mighty Lancelot?!" Lance demanded, and went off on the nearest person. This time, he hit them a couple of times, breaking their nose and sending a couple loose teeth flying. "You shall pay for your deeds!"

"What is that buffoon doing?!" Kames demanded, but Dean Zelders was speechless. They watched, half in horror and half in awe, as he methodically beat the snot out of the remaining teaching staff one-by-one.

"I-I don't know sir..."

There were footsteps down the hall. Aker turned around in time to see Larry come through the doors. He saw Aker, and the blood coming from his arm, and Lance breaking the leg of a former colleague, and what color he had left went rushing from his face.

"Mr. Daley there's something wrong with Kames!" Aker could hear himself speak, but it sounded foreign to him. Like someone else was speaking instead. "He's talking in a voice that isn't his and his eyes are glowing! What-"

"It's okay!" Larry lied. Aker knew he was lying. He learned very early on that Larry Daley was a horrible liar. "I know what to do! Just get out of here, get your arm checked out!"

He couldn't. He wanted to, lord did he want to run away and never look back, but Aker couldn't. He couldn't just leave everyone here! He couldn't leave Kames!

But...that wasn't Kames...it was someone else.

Someone else...

By now Kames and Zelders had endured enough. Zelders grinned, and took the blade from his master's hand. "Hello Lawrence!" He called, "Nice of you to stop by! Too bad, you almost had a chance!" With that he charged.

Lance, seeing his teacher in danger, gave up on smashing the bones in some teacher's leg to a pulp and raced to defend him. He jumped onto Zelders' back and succeeded in knocking him to the floor. While he and Larry struggled with the former Dean, Aker and Kames were left to their own devices.

The younger of the two somehow found enough strength to get back to his feet. He looked at what was left of his brother, at this beast that had consumed him and now dared to wear his face, and he scowled. "Get out!" He growled. "Get out of here and leave my brother alone!"

Kames smirked. "Your brother is dead, boy." He fired back. "He was a shell of my glory, a vessel to allow me to once again conquer this world!"

"You're a liar!"

"I am many things, little Ahk, but I am no liar. There is no more Kames in this body, there is only Kahmunrah!"

"No..." His brother had to still be in there. However bad a person he had been in a past life, no matter what he had done to hurt his loved ones, he still had to be Kames! He still had to be the annoying, overbearing, flat out pain in his ass, big brother! "No! It's not true! I know it can't be true!"

"It is! You naive little fool! Thousands of years and yet you still think of me as your adoring brother!" Kames turned his head, and spat at the ground. "You would think being dead would destroy all of that."

Dead...Aker could not remember a time...he could barely remember when he was three...dead...

His eyes flickered over to Larry and Lance, still rolling around on the floor and trying to get Zelders subdued. Poor Larry, he was trying to keep his former employer from stabbing at him and Lance, while keeping Lance from killing Zelders. That damn jewel encrusted blade was still in play. Zelders was gripping it in his hand, though Larry had it pinned to the floor.

A little to awaken the seal...Aker directed his gaze down at the crudely painted seal covering the basement floor. It had started to glow, though quite faintly, where his blood had touched the paint. It was now the same color as the unnatural hue in Kames' eyes.

He swallowed; an idea had begun. To form in his mind though he did not like it. If he was wrong, Aker could be sending his brother on a one way trip to hell, but if he didn't there was no telling what would happen. Kames could die nonetheless.

The sinister being now wearing his brother like a suit grinned, "It's only a matter of time and then everybody dies. All your friends here, in Egypt, around the world, all of them will perish at my hands."

"They're not your hands!" Aker roared back and bolted over to the three others still squabbling on the floor. Somehow he was able to rip the blade from Larry and Zelder's grasps, and he tossed it to Lance. "You are my protecter, are you not!?" He demanded, speaking so fast his words were almost slurred together. "A hero for royal?! Than you listen to me, when I say you are to kill the bastard responsible for this!"

"What?!" Poor Larry. He looked tired, and like he may faint. He made a few futile attempts to snatch the blade back from Lance. "No! No more killing! This is already a bloodbath-"

"And it has to end with blood! That's how these things work!" Aker screamed. Oh how he hoped that was how these things worked, or else he was going to have an AWFUL amount of explaining to do to his mom and dad...

"AHK!" Kames shouted, "YOU INSOLENT FOOL-!"

He was scared. His voice still rang like thunder, but Aker could hear how close to breaking it was. He was scared, so Aker had to be doing something right. Lance held the blade to Zelders' throat, mumbled something offensive to the man, and sliced a thing but deep line along the man's neck. Zelders sputtered, coughed some blood, and Aker watched as the life left his eyes. Zelders laid his head down against the cold ground, and blood pooled near his head and onto the seal. The glow it had acquired from tasting Aker's blood diminished until there was nothing but paint left. He looked back towards his brother, and sighed in relief when he saw the glow vanish from his eyes as well.

"I..." Kames mumbled, and Aker knew it was really him. "I...I don't feel..." He collapsed to the ground.

 


End file.
